


At Last

by blk0912



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barson, Barsonoah, Eventual Rollisi, F/M, Family Fluff, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-30
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:08:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 51,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23922112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912
Summary: Rafael gets an unexpected phone call about an opportunity to return to New York.
Relationships: Noah Porter Benson & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba & Noah Porter Benson, Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson
Comments: 123
Kudos: 153





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new to the Barson fandom, and this is my first time writing for SVU (and first time in a while writing in general), but after catching up on the newest episodes and reading lots of Barson fanfiction, I got inspired and this happened. Please be kind.

Nearly two years after leaving Manhattan, Rafael saw an unfamiliar number show up on his cell phone screen. Worried someone might be trying to contact him about a family member, he quickly answered.

“Barba.”

“How would you feel about coming back to Manhattan SVU?” a female voice asked.

As a million thoughts continued to run through his head, Rafael decided to humor whoever it was on the other end of the line.

“Depends on who’s asking,” he replied, eliciting a laugh in return.

“Sorry. I still have a tendency to skip the pleasantries and get right to what I want to know. Old habits die hard, I guess. This is Alex Cabot. I’m the new Executive Assistant District Attorney for Manhattan.”

“I thought you were off making your own witness protection program?”

“I was. Then I thought about some things Olivia had said to me when I saw her. When I was offered the Executive ADA position, I decided to take it. It’s a job I’ve wanted for a while, to be perfectly honest.”

“Fair enough. But what does that have to do with me?”

“I’m getting to that. I’ve been reviewing the work being done by Vanessa Hadid and Dominick Carisi. I assume you’re familiar with both of them?”

“Carisi, yes. Hadid not so much. I’m still not understanding where you’re going with this, counselor.”

“Sorry. I’m just trying to make sure you understand the circumstances under which I’m being allowed to make this offer.”

“Is there something wrong with the work they’ve been doing?” Rafael asked, still trying to figure out what prompted this phone call.

“Yes and no. Carisi is doing wonderfully for how new he is to the position. Hadid, however, I’m not at all pleased with. Apparently Carisi has been raising concerns to McCoy for a while now. When I took over the Executive ADA position, I decided to speak with him myself.”

“What concerns?”

“He feels that she has been either hindering or undermining him from pretty much day one. After reviewing case notes and speaking to them both directly, I decided to let Hadid transfer back to her previous position. That leads me to my original question: how would you feel about coming back to Manhattan SVU?”

Rafael was silent as he tried to wrap his head around everything he’d just been told and the question he’d been asked twice now.

“…doing what exactly?”

“Bureau Chief for Manhattan SVU. You’d be supervising Carisi directly, as well as some other junior ADAs that we recently hired. You have six years of experience with this unit and I firmly believe you would be an asset to the team.”

Rafael sat down on the nearby couch as he contemplated the offer.

“I quit nearly two years ago…and not on great terms…” He explained.

“I’m aware. Apparently you are still in high demand around there, though.”

“I am?”

Alex laughed as she answered. “Yes. I thought you and Olivia had kept in touch?”

“We have…but she never mentioned anything about it to me.”

“McCoy avoids her whenever possible. She’s pissed at him for what he did to you…and for bringing in Stone. She never liked Hadid, though as with Stone, she reluctantly learned to work with her. The entire squad ambushed McCoy one day. Olivia had a specific list of demands.”

Listening to Alex’s story, Rafael smiled as he pictured that particular scene. He had no doubt that Olivia had done her research and known exactly which buttons to push to get McCoy to agree.

“Were you there for this conversation?”

“I was, actually. I had been in New York visiting and decided to drop by the precinct before Olivia and I went to lunch a couple of weeks ago, which is where she explained all of this to me. You’d be reporting to me, Rafael, not McCoy. I understand why you did what you did and I firmly believe McCoy is a complete idiot for doing what he did. Stone, too.”

It took Rafael all of two seconds to make up his mind.

“I’m in,” he said. “But on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“I need a couple of weeks to settle things here…and I want to tell Olivia myself.”

“Done,” Alex said with a smile in her voice. “Welcome back, counselor.”

* * *

Two weeks later, after meeting with Alex to go over paperwork, Rafael walked back into his old office and smiled to himself as he saw his name, and new title, now displayed on the door. After dropping a box full of stuff on his desk, He set off for the 16th precinct. He and Alex had also filled Carisi in on the plans and he had said that Olivia and Rollins had gone to meet with a victim while Fin and the new officer, Kat, did some research at the office.

“Barba?” Fin asked in near disbelief as he saw Rafael walk into the room. “What are you doing here?”

“It’s kind of a complicated story,” Rafael replied, not wanting to give too much away before he talked to Olivia.

“You here to stay?”

“I am.”

“Are you and Liv going to disclose, then?”

That question threw Rafael and he simply stared at the other man, who started laughing.

“Come on, Barba, we all know she’s the reason you accepted this offer. Nothing, and no one, else could have made you agree to it. Not even all of the begging Carisi could probably be counted on to do. It’s about time you two stopped dancing around your feelings.”

“She might kill me before I can even admit them,” he replied with a small shrug.

Fin laughed some more before he clasped Rafael on the shoulder. “Nah, man. She’ll be thrilled. Trust me.”

“So you’re Barba,” a new voice said from the other side of Fin’s desk.

“Barba, this is the newest member of the SVU squad, Officer Kat Tamin,” Fin introduced. “Kat, this is Rafael Barba, our former ADA. Now Bureau Chief of SVU.”

“It’s nice to finally put a name with a face,” Kat told him with a smile.

“Likewise.”

“Why don’t you go wait in Liv’s office?” Fin suggested to Rafael. “We promise not to say a word. She shouldn’t be long.”

Rafael nodded, noting Olivia’s new title with a small smile as he walked into the familiar room. Weighing his options, he opted to take a seat on the nearby couch.

* * *

He heard her voice before he saw her. She was filling Kat and Fin in on what the victim had told her.

“Where’s Rollins?” he heard Fin ask.

“Outside yelling at Carisi,” came the exasperated reply.

“About what now?”

“I don’t even know anymore. Rafael and I had our moments, but I don’t think we were as bad as those two.”

Rafael smiled at that comment. They’d had their fair share of yelling matches, usually in one or the other’s office. Carisi shared an office with some of the other junior ADAs and Rollins didn’t have her own office, so they were usually sent outside to settle their spats.

* * *

Walking into her office and shutting the door, Olivia immediately felt as if she weren’t alone. The presence wasn’t threatening…it was…comforting. Calming. She knew that presence. Before he’d left, they had gotten so close that she had begun to know he was in the room before she actually saw him.

“Rafa,” she whispered, hoping she wasn’t imagining things.

“Liv,” the presence replied.

She knew that voice. She often replayed his voicemails just to hear it. Turning, she saw him standing near the couch.

“Rafa?” she repeated, still not believing he was actually here.

“Yeah, Liv, it’s me,” he said, holding out his hand to her.

Reaching out her own hand, she felt his clasp it tightly as he pulled her closer.

“Rafa,” she said once more, immediately letting go of his hand to wrap her arms around his neck and hug him tightly.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Rafael slid his arms around Olivia’s waist and held her to him just as tightly. A few minutes later, when she pulled back slightly, she looked at him with a question in her eyes.

“How?” she finally asked.

“How…what?”

“How long are you back for?”

“As long as you’ll have me.”

“You’re not leaving? What about election fraud?”

Rafael chuckled as he shook his head.

“Someone else can handle the election fraud…it wasn’t what I really wanted to be doing, anyway. I have been welcomed back to the DA’s office with mostly open arms.”

“What?”

“Alex Cabot called me a couple of weeks ago, said she had just taken over as Executive ADA. Told me you and your squad were scaring McCoy.”

Burying her head in Rafael’s shoulder, Olivia simply muttered “Oh my God.”

Reaching up to run his fingers through Olivia’s hair, Rafael continued his story.

“Apparently I’m still in high demand around here.”

“You are,” Olivia confirmed, lifting her head.

“She told me what was going on with Hadid, said McCoy was allowing her to choose the new Bureau Chief of SVU. She offered me the job…and I accepted. I start Monday.”

Olivia searched his eyes for any hint that he was joking. What she saw there instead took her breath away.

“What made you decide to accept the offer?” she asked, feeling it was the safest of the many questions running around in her head.

“You,” he answered simply.

“Me?”

Reaching up to frame her face with his hands, Rafael held her gaze as he spoke.

“Yes. I’ve missed you so much, Liv. You and Noah. You both weaseled your way into my heart and refused to leave. I’m sorry for hurting you both when I left and I’m grateful that you don’t hate me…”

“I could never hate you,” Olivia interrupted. “I was extremely mad at you for a long time, but I never hated you. Noah was very hurt, but he could never hate you, either. You’re still his favorite.”

Rafael smiled a bit at that statement, making a mental note to circle back to it later, before he attempted to continue talking. When he couldn’t find his train of thought from before Olivia had interrupted him, he opted for three simple words instead.

“I love you,” he confessed, pressing his forehead to hers and closing his eyes.

Olivia felt tears prick her eyes as her heart simply soared. He had finally said the three words she’d been longing to hear for nearly two years. Not trusting her voice at the moment, she did what she felt was the next best thing and leaned slightly forward to brush her lips with his.

* * *

Having prepared himself for rejection when Olivia remained silent, Rafael was surprised when he felt a soft brush of lips against his. Sliding one of his hands into her hair and the other around her hip, he pulled her closer as he returned her kiss.

“Rafa,” Olivia managed a few minutes later, reluctantly pulling slightly away from the man whose attention she was attempting to get.

“Liv,” he returned, a hint of a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

“I love you, too.”

This time it was Rafael’s turn to feel his heart soar. “Stay with me tonight?” he asked as he leaned in for another kiss.

“I thought I’d be working late, so Lucy and Noah are having a sleepover at her place.”

“Is that a yes?”

Olivia smiled at him, running a hand through his hair as she answered. “Yes.”

* * *

The following morning, Olivia groaned as her alarm went off. Hearing a deep chuckle from beside her, she turned her alarm off and then turned back to see a pair of green eyes watching her with amusement. Hearing his laugh in person, which confirmed that last night hadn’t been a dream, Olivia couldn’t help but smile back at him as she leaned in for a kiss.

“You’re lucky I love you,” she told him as she learned back to swat at his arm.

“I know,” he replied, suddenly turning serious. At the panicked look on Olivia’s face, he pulled her close again. “I don’t want to hide our relationship.”

“Me, neither.”

“You might want to let Fin know you’ll be a little late, then.”

“…Why?”

“Discolure. We can stop by and see Alex first, then go to 1PP.”

“Are you sure this is what you want?” Olivia asked him.

“I thought I made that clear last night,” Rafael replied, confusion written all over his face.

“I just need you to understand that it’s not just my heart you could break again…it’s Noah’s, too. He loves you so much, Rafa. I don’t think either of us could handle anyone walking out on us again.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Rafael promised. “I love you both. Some of my favorite memories are the ones where it was just the three of us hanging out…being a family. Spaghetti and movie nights…”

“Really?”

Rafael simply smiled and nodded. “Really,” he replied.

“I hope you’re prepared for him to not let you leave…probably ever,” Olivia told him as she reluctantly got out of bed and began to get herself ready for the day.

“Is that your way of asking me to move in?”

“A nice as this hotel is, it’s not a home.”

“I was thinking maybe we could look at places this weekend,” Rafael revealed, eliciting a surprised look from Olivia.

“You don’t like my place?” she teased.

Rafael smiled at her before he continued. “I adore your place, but with our promotions, we can afford some place with better security and more room.”

“You’ve been thinking about this, haven’t you?”

“I’ve been thinking about a lot of things.”

“You always do,” Olivia said with a smile, leaning in for another kiss before walking into the bathroom.

* * *

Later that afternoon, after he and Olivia had filed all of the necessary disclosure paperwork, Rafael made his way across town to his mother’s school. He wasn’t completely sure she’d be happy to see him, but he was determined to make amends with his entire family. He had debated who to see first, his mother or Olivia. He had ultimately decided on Olivia, not only because he’d been an uncharacteristic ball of nerves before seeing her, but because he knew his mother was bound to ask him about the woman in question.

Walking into the familiar surroundings, Rafael smiled at the sounds of the various activities happening.

“Rafael, is that you?” he heard the school secretary, and longtime friend of his mother, ask as he walked into the office.

“Yes, Gabriella,” he replied with a smile. “Is my mom in?”

“Yes. Go ahead. I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you.”

“I hope so.”

* * *

Lucia Barba was looking over some paperwork when she could have sworn she heard the familiar voice of her son.

 _‘Impossible. He’s still travelling around the country’_ she thought to herself.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she continued reading the document in front of her.

“ _Hola, Mami_.”

Hearing the familiar greeting, from the familiar voice, Lucia looked up to find her son standing in front of her desk.

“Rafi?” she asked, not entirely convinced she wasn’t hallucinating.

“What is it with the women in my life not believing I’m really here?” he questioned irritably.

“The **women** in your life?” Lucia repeated as she rounded the desk to hug him.

“Yes, _Mami_ , **women** ,” Rafael confirmed as he returned her hug, feeling as though another weight had been lifted off of his shoulders.

Leaning back to sit on the edge of her desk as Rafael took a seat in a nearby chair, Lucia eyed him carefully. “Explain.”

* * *

A short while later, after having explained his new job and the new status of his relationship with Olivia, Rafael looked to his mother to see if she had any further questions before he told her about something he’d been considering since the moment his relationship status with Olivia had changed.

“I want to give _Abuelita’s_ ring to Olivia,” he told her.

Lucia couldn’t help but smile as she heard her son’s latest confession. She didn’t know Olivia well yet, but she clearly made her son the happiest she’d seen him in a very long time, and that was really all she needed to know.

“Bring her to dinner on Sunday and you can get it then,” she decided. “She has a child, too, doesn’t she?”

“Yes. A son. Noah.”

“Are you going to adopt him?”

“ _Dios mío, Mami_ ,” Rafael said. “We just reconnected last night.”

“But you’re already planning to move in with her and asking for your _Abuelita’s_ ring.”

Rafael let out a breath before answering his mother.

“If it’s something both Olivia _and_ Noah want, then yes, I would adopt him. In a heartbeat.”

Lucia smiled at her son’s answer. Truth be told, she had been expecting to have this conversation a lot sooner, but was happy Rafael had come to his senses.

“Bring them both by on Sunday and you can have the ring,” she amended.

“I’ll talk to Liv.”

“Good. Now tell me more about this new job of yours.”

* * *

Walking out of his school, Noah immediately spotted his mother. She was talking to someone, a man who was currently making her laugh. The last time he had seen his mother laugh like that was when his uncle Rafa had been around.

“Rafa,” he whispered as he quickened his steps to get to his mother faster.

Apparently having heard him approach, the man turned to smile at him.

“ _Hola, mi amigo_ ,” he said.

“Rafa!” Noah exclaimed, wrapping his arms tightly around the older man’s waist. When Rafael bent to his level, he moved to wrap them just as tightly around his neck.

“Are you back now?” he questioned a few moments later, stepping back to look at him.

“I am,” Rafael confirmed.

“For how long?”

Rafael looked up at Olivia before turning back to Noah and answering the boy’s question. “For as long as you and your mom will have me.”

“Forever?” Noah asked, looking back and forth between Olivia and Rafael for confirmation.

Rafael reached out to run a hand through Noah’s curls before he replied. “ _Siempre_. Forever.”

Looking up at his mother, Noah posed his next question to her. “Can we go home now?”

Olivia smiled as Rafael moved to once again stand beside her.

“Yes, my sweet boy, we can go home now,” she answered, reaching for his hand, her smile growing when she saw him reach for Rafael’s hand before they began to walk.

* * *

A few hours later, after a dinner filled with Noah’s chatter, a bath for the boy in question, and three bedtime stories, Rafael and Olivia relaxed together in the living room.

“That went better than I expected,” Rafael revealed as Olivia tucked herself into his side and laid her head to rest on his shoulder.

“Mm,” Olivia agreed. “I figured it was going to go one of two ways-either he was going to be completely ecstatic to see you or he was going to be extremely mad at you and refuse to talk to you. He’ll probably have a million questions for you at some point, though.”

“Hopefully not for a couple of days yet. Between you, my mother, McCoy, Alex, and 1PP, I’ve had enough questions to last for a while.”

“You saw your mom?”

Rafael nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of Olivia’s head before he spoke again. “I stopped by her school this afternoon. She wants me to bring you and Noah over for dinner on Sunday.”

“She does?” Olivia asked, sounding surprised.

“Yes. I told her about my new job, about us, about how close Noah and I had gotten before I stupidly left. How much I love you both.”

Olivia was quiet for a few moments as she contemplated how to bring up her next suggestion. “You could spend the day with him on Friday. Teacher workshop day, so he doesn’t have school. I was going to have Lucy watch him in the morning so I could go into work for a little while, but maybe it would be better if you had some time together. Just the two of you.”

“Sounds good to me,” Rafael replied. “Give Lucy the day off.”

Olivia nodded, making a mental note to text Lucy in the morning. Leaning over, she pressed her lips to Rafael’s, happy to finally have him here with her again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't originally planning a part 2 to this, and it didn't come together quite as easily as I would have liked, but the first chapter seemed to go over well and this is what my muse demanded I write...so I hope you all enjoy.

Early the next morning, Olivia woke to the sound of Noah calling for her. Concerned by the distress in his voice, she quickly made her way to his room.

“Noah, sweet boy, what’s wrong?” she asked as she took a seat on his bed and pulled him into her arms.

“He promised,” Noah cried.

“Who promised what, baby?”

“Rafa. He promised he wouldn’t leave again.”

Knowing Rafael was still asleep in their bed, Olivia was immediately confused. Running a hand through her son’s hair, she attempted to find out what would make him think Rafael had left again.

“Honey, I think you had a bad dream. Rafa is asleep in the other room. He didn’t leave.”

“Promise?” Noah asked tearfully, clutching Eddie to his chest as he looked up at his mother.

“I promise,” Olivia replied. “Why did Rafa leaving in your dream upset you?”

“Because he promised he wouldn’t. If he leaves, we can’t be a family.”

“We as in you, me, and Rafa?”

Noah nodded, hugging his stuffed elephant tighter.

“I want him to be my dad,” he confessed softly a few seconds later.

Olivia felt her heart squeeze as she heard her son’s words. She knew Rafael and Noah had gotten close, but she never knew her son felt that way.

“You love him, don’t you?” she asked.

Noah nodded again, trying to get a hold of his emotions.

“And it’s different than how you love Uncle Fin and Uncle Sonny?” Olivia continued, receiving another nod in reply. Gathering Noah closer, she pressed a kiss to the top of his head before she stood and held out her hand to him.

“Where are we going?” he asked, reaching for his mother’s hand as he clutched Eddie with the other.

“To see Rafa,” Olivia replied.

* * *

Having felt Olivia leave the bed, Rafael was concerned when she didn’t return a few minutes later. He was about to get up and find her when he saw her walk into their room with Noah.

“Someone had a bad dream,” Olivia said as Noah crawled into the bed.

“Rafa,” Noah said as he spotted him.

“ _Amigo_ , what happened?” he asked, wrapping his arms around the boy and hugging him, a little surprised when he curled further into his embrace.

“You promised you wouldn’t leave,” Noah mumbled into Rafael’s chest.

Rafael gave Olivia a confused look before turning his attention back to the little boy in his arms.

“You had a dream that I left again?” he guessed.

Noah nodded, beginning to cry again. “You promised you wouldn’t.”

“I’m not leaving again, _amigo_.”

“If you leave again, you can’t be my dad and we can’t be a family.”

Rafael’s silent question was in his eyes as he looked over at Olivia again, who simply nodded with a small smile.

“Noah, I need you to look at me,” Rafael told him softly.

Sniffling, Noah raised his tear-filled eyes to do as he was instructed.

“Is that what you want? For me to be your dad?”

Noah nodded, holding tight to his stuffed elephant for comfort as he waited for Rafael’s response.

“I want that, too,” he replied, doing his best to hold back tears of his own.

“Dad,” Noah whispered as he buried his face in Rafael’s chest again. “ _Te amo_.”

Rafael tightened his arms around the little boy. “ _También te amo, mijo_ ,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head before looking up at Olivia. “Where did he learn that?”

“His school offers a Spanish class, so I enrolled him at the beginning of the year,” She replied as she ran her hand over Noah’s hair. “I thought it was important that he learn another language and you sparked his interest in Spanish, so it worked out. I’m guessing he asked his teacher. As far as I know, they’re just teaching the basics right now-numbers, colors, that sort of thing.”

“I sparked his interest in Spanish?”

“He adores you, Rafa. Of course he’d want to be able to speak Spanish with you.”

“When I accepted the job offer from Alex two weeks ago…I never thought…” Rafael started, unsure how to verbalize what he was feeling.

“Never thought…what?” Olivia prompted.

“Never thought you and your son would both be telling me that you love me within just a couple of days. I thought I’d have to prove to you that I’m not going to leave again, that I love you both very much, that I want us to be a family.”

“I’ve loved you for years, Rafa. I think Noah has, too. We were both hurt when you left, and even if neither of us ever completely understood why, we always hoped you’d come back to us.”

“I’ve loved you for years, too, Liv. I left because I was a mess and I didn’t think I had anything to offer either of you.”

“We just need _you_.”

Rafael nodded, keeping one arm securely around Noah while reaching over with his free hand to lace his fingers with Olivia’s.

“I know he doesn’t have school tomorrow, but I think maybe we should keep him home today, too. I could take a couple of days…Fin can handle things.” Olivia suggested, moving to lie down beside her partner and their son.

“His teacher won’t be upset?”

“No. I’ll call and talk to her. I want to stop by the school and change some paperwork anyway, so I can pick up anything else he needs then. Maybe I’ll stop by work for a little while, get some things I need. If you think you two will be okay for a while?”

“We’ll be fine, Liv. Do what you need to do.”

Olivia nodded and then glanced over at her…their…son. “Is he asleep?”

“Yeah. Eddie, too.”

Olivia smiled, laying her head on the pillow and closing her eyes.

* * *

The next morning, Olivia left Rafael and Noah cuddling together on the couch while she went to run her errands. Her first stop was Noah’s school.

“Hi, Olivia,” Noah’s teacher, Valerie Kingston, greeted when she saw her walk through the classroom door.

“Hi, Valerie. Thank you for taking time out of your lunch to meet with me.”

“It’s not a problem. How’s Noah?”

“He hasn’t let Rafael out of his sight all morning,” Olivia replied.

“I’m assuming Rafael is also known as Rafa?”

“Yes. He called him Uncle Rafa when he was younger and somewhere along the line he dropped the ‘uncle’ and started calling him Rafa. Now he calls him Dad.”

“Was that Noah’s choice?”

“Yes. Rafael is over the moon about it.”

“How do _you_ feel about it?”

“I’m a little emotional about it, honestly. Rafael is the only one I ever pictured in that role and to find out that it’s something both he and Noah want, too…it makes my heart happy.”

Valerie smiled and nodded in understanding. “I’m happy for all three of you. I just hope you won’t be keeping Noah out of school for very long. I don’t want him to get behind.”

“I understand. It’s just today. He’ll be back on Monday. I stopped by to get some paperwork changed and thought I’d check with you to see if there’s anything Noah needs to prepare for Monday.”

Valerie walked over to Noah’s cubbie and took out a couple of items, handing them to Olivia as she spoke. “I want him to review his spelling words for the test on Monday. He’s been doing so well that I gave him a couple of bonus words to work on. If he gets them correct on his test, he’ll get extra credit. He also needs to read two chapters in his book.”

Olivia nodded, making a mental note of the instructions before speaking again. “Do you happen to know where he learned to say “I love you” in Spanish?”

“I’m not sure. I’m guessing he probably asked Ms. Sanchez, she assumed he wanted to say it to you and so she told him. Is that a problem?”

“No, no. I was just wondering.”

“He’s a smart kid; very intuitive and inquisitive. I’ve been enjoying having him in my class.”

“I’m glad to hear he’s doing well, and I’ll make sure he gets his work done so he’s prepared to return on Monday. Thank you again for meeting with me on such short notice.”

“I’m always happy to see parents involved in their child’s schooling,” Valerie told her with a smile as she walked Olivia to the door. “Give Noah my regards.”

“I will,” Olivia promised.

* * *

“Hey, Lu, I didn’t think you’d be in today,” Carisi greeted as he saw Olivia walk into the precinct.

“I’m technically not,” she replied. “I just stopped by to get a few things. Did something happen?”

“Nothing new,” Amanda said as she approached. “We’ve got it covered, Liv.”

“How’re Noah and Barba?” Fin asked, joining the group with Kat at his side.

“ _Barba_?!” Amanda and Carisi repeated together.

After shooting her sergeant a slightly annoyed look, Olivia turned to her detective and ADA.

“Rafael is back….and your wish to work with him is finally coming true, Carisi,” she said before walking into her office, knowing her squad and ADA were right behind her.

“Wait…when did Barba come back?” Amanda spoke first.

“What do you mean my wish to work with him is finally coming true?” Carisi spoke next.

Turning back around, Olivia leaned against her desk as she addressed everyone, although two of the four already knew what was going on.

“You know Hadid transferred back to her old position and McCoy allowed Alex to have her choice of new bureau chief for SVU, right?” she began.

“Yeah, but she hasn’t mentioned anything about that position being filled,” Carisi replied, still seeming confused.

“That’s because the person that filled it asked her not to until I was made aware.”

“Come on, Liv, don’t leave ‘em hangin like that,” Fin said with a laugh.

“Don’t tell me a detective and an ADA can’t put two and two together,” Kat teased.

Olivia, Fin, and Kat watched in amusement as Carisi and Amanda exchanged a glance before turning incredulous looks back on Olivia.

“Barba is the new bureau chief?!” they asked, their voices in unison once again.

“Yes. Are there any other questions or can I pack up what I need now?”

Amanda observed her boss, who had become one of her closest friends in the last few years, closely. When they’d come back from the hospital after meeting with the victim in their latest case, she had seemed tired and still a little sad from the events of the previous weeks. Now, though, she seemed happier and well-rested. She’d also requested a couple of personal days last minute, which was unusual.

“Barba wanted to tell you himself,” Amanda said a few moments later.

“Yes,” Olivia replied, putting some files into her bag as she spoke. “He surprised me the other night after we got back from the hospital.”

“Where is he now?”

“At home with our son.”

“Home? _Our_ son?” Carisi repeated, having just shared another confused look with Amanda.

“Noah and I claimed him,” Olivia said with a small smile and a shrug.

“Did you disclose?” Amanda wondered.

“Yes. Yesterday. That’s why I was a little late. We surprised Noah after school yesterday and he pretty much hasn’t let Rafael out of his sight since.”

“We’re happy for you, Lu,” Carisi told her with a smile and a hug.

“Tell him we expect to see him at Forlini’s soon,” Amanda told her as she claimed her own hug.

“I will,” Olivia promised. “Call if you need anything.”

“Enjoy your long weekend, Captain,” Kat said from her spot between Amanda and Fin.

“Olivia or Liv is fine, Kat.”

“Come on, Kat, back to books you go,” Fin said, steering the young officer back towards her desk.

“Back to the books?”

“She’s studying to take the detective exam,” Amanda explained, seeing the confusion on Olivia’s face. “Fin has decided to take on the role of supervisor _and_ tutor.”

“I’m sure she’ll do well, then. Do either of you need anything before I go?”

Amanda looked over at Carisi, who shook his head, before turning back to her friend.

“We’re good here. Go home and spend time with your boys. If Noah is willing to let Barba out of his sights and you want me to take him for a bit, just let me know. Jesse and Billie would love to have him over for a play date.”

“I will. Thanks, Amanda.”

* * *

After stopping to get lunch, Olivia returned home to find Rafael and Noah pretty much in the same spot she’d left them. Only now instead of cuddling on the couch, they had some Lego creation spread out on the coffee table.

“Mom! You’re back!” Noah exclaimed, causing Rafael to turn his head and look at her.

“The squad says hi,” Olivia told them as she walked into the kitchen to set the bags down on the counter.

“Dad said you’re staying home with us all weekend.”

Olivia shared a smile with Rafael at hearing Noah call him dad before walking back to the entry way to hang up her coat and toe off her shoes.

“Hi,” Rafael greeted with a soft kiss.

“Hi,” Olivia replied, her smile growing as she leaned into his side to give him a quick hug.

“Did you get take out?” Noah asked as his parents joined him in the kitchen.

“Yes. From that Cuban restaurant that your dad likes so much,” Olivia replied, taking the boxes out of the bags and setting them out on the counter.

“Dad said he would cook dinner tonight and I can be his…s-so-shoe chef.”

“Sous chef,” Rafael corrected with a laugh. “But yes, I did offer to cook tonight.”

“How about we eat lunch and then watch a movie first?” Olivia suggested, receiving nods of agreement from both Rafael and Noah in return. “Good. Now go wash up, the both of you.”

* * *

After lunch, Olivia and Noah took seats on the couch on either side of Rafael while he selected a movie for them to watch. Settling on _Toy Story 4_ , Rafael set the remote on the coffee table before reaching to pull his love and their son close.

“Everything okay at the office?” Rafael asked a few moments later.

“Yes. Carisi and Amanda had no idea you were back, apparently too caught up in their argument the other day to see us leave together, and Kat has decided to take the detective’s exam. Fin has decided to help with her studies,” Olivia replied.

“Is that good or bad?”

“I think it’ll be good. They hit it off pretty much right away and Fin has a lot of experience. I think it may even help her get to know Amanda a bit better, too.”

“Good. I’m sure I’ll see Carisi bright and early Monday morning, then.”

“Probably,” Olivia agreed with a small laugh before she and Rafael turned their attention back to the movie.

* * *

Later that night, after Rafael had put Noah to bed, he joined Olivia in the living room.

“How many stories tonight?” she asked, handing him the scotch she’d poured for him.

“Two and a half,” he replied, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

“How was your day with our son?”

Rafael smiled at Olivia’s use of the word ‘our’ when referring to Noah, reaching out to lace the fingers of his free hand with hers before he answered. “It was good. We watched _Coco_ this morning and then had a chat before he asked if we could put together his newest Lego set.”

“Am I allowed to ask what you two chatted about?”

“I assured him again that I’m not leaving, that I want the three of us to be a family, and I asked him where he learned _te amo_.”

“I asked his teacher that same question. Her theory was that Noah had asked his Spanish teacher and the woman assumed he wanted to say it to me, so she told him.”

“Her theory would be correct.”

“Did you talk to him about going back to school on Monday?”

“Yes. He understands why we let him stay home today, but knows he needs to go back to school on Monday. He mentioned something about bonus spelling words?”

Olivia smiled and nodded. “His teacher said that she gave him the extra words as a challenge and if he gets them correct on his test next week, he’ll get extra credit.”

“He’s a smart kid.”

“Just like his dad.”

“Yeah, that still kind of floors me every time I hear it,” Rafael revealed.

“How about when I tell you that I love you?” Olivia wondered, setting her wine glass down on the table and moving closer to Rafael.

Setting his own glass down on the table, he gathered her close before he spoke again. “That, too.”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t be happy to see you?”

“I wasn’t sure. I had a lot of thoughts going through my head.”

“Nothing surprising there.”

Rafael chuckled and pressed a kiss to her head. “You know me well.”

“Mm. I think we should test that,” Olivia replied, turning to press her lips to his.

* * *

By the time Saturday afternoon rolled around, Olivia was beginning to think they wouldn’t ever be able to agree on a place to live. Either she or Rafael had objected to every place they’d seen so far.

“Maybe we should try this again another day,” Olivia suggested. “We’re supposed to pick up Noah in an hour.”

“Just one more place, and if we can’t agree on it, then we’ll look at some places online and go from there,” Rafael replied. “Okay?”

Olivia nodded, earning a kiss from Rafael a kiss in return before he took her hand and led her down the street from the last place they’d looked at.

* * *

As she and Rafael walked up to the building, Olivia immediately recognized it.

“I thought you sold your condo?” she asked him.

“I did. It was hardly bigger than your place, so it wouldn’t have really worked, anyway.”

“So why are we here?”

“The realtor who sold me my original condo here is a good friend of mine and she said to let her know if I ever moved back to the city. I called her this morning, she should be here shortly. There’s a four bedroom two bath condo for sale.”

“Isn’t four bedrooms a bit more than what we need?”

“One for us, one for Noah, a home office and a guest room. That’s four rooms.”

“A guest room?”

“Yeah. I thought it would be nicer for if Lucy or someone comes to stay with Noah overnight to sleep in a bed rather than on the couch.”

“I always did like your place,” Olivia conceded, eliciting a smile and another kiss from Rafael.

* * *

“Rafael!”

Turning at the sound of his name, Rafael saw his friend approaching.

“Sorry I’m late. My last appointment ran a little bit over. Thank you for waiting,” the woman said.

“It’s okay. I’m pretty sure it won’t take long to decide whether or not this place will work for us,” Rafael replied before introducing the two women. “Liv, this is my friend, Paige Montgomery. Paige, this is my girlfriend, Olivia Benson.”

Before any of them could say anything else, they heard what sounded like Noah’s voice. Their suspicions were confirmed a few moments later.

“Noah! Wait!” they heard Carisi yelling as he chased the boy, who had spotted his parents and gotten excited.

“Mom! Dad! I knew it was you!” Noah exclaimed when he reached them.

“Noah, _mijo_ , you know better than to run off like that,” Rafael lightly scolded as he bent to his son’s level and straightened his coat.

“I’m sorry, Dad.”

“I think there’s someone else you need to apologize to as well,” Olivia said, indicating Carisi, who had caught up with them by now.

Noah turned to his honorary uncle with an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Uncle Sonny.”

“Next time you think you see someone you know, all you need to do is tell me,” Sonny explained. “We want to make sure you stay safe, bud.”

“Where’s Rollins?” Olivia asked the ADA.

“She should be here shortly. We were walking back to her place when Noah spotted you two and took off running. I ran after him so Manda could stay with Jesse and Billie.”

“Family reunion?” Paige asked Rafael as he stood with Noah’s hand firmly in his.

“Pretty much,” Rafael replied with a small smile. “This is my son, Noah. Noah, this is my friend, Paige.”

“Hello, Noah,” Paige greeted.

“Hello.”

“These are our friends, Sonny Carisi and Amanda Rollins. Carisi, Rollins, this is my friend, Paige Montgomery. She’s helping Liv and me today.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Carisi said with a smile, Amanda following his lead a few moments later.

* * *

“I guess it’s our turn to apologize,” Olivia said to Paige when as they entered the building a few minutes later.

Paige waved her hand. “No need. I understand how excited kids can get sometimes.”

“What floor is this on?”

“The top two.”

“Top _two_?” Olivia repeated, glancing over at Rafael.

“Yes. The top two floors of the building are where the largest condos are. The four bed, two bath you and Rafael are looking at as well as two three bed, two bath and one other four bed, two bath.”

“Rafa, are you sure this is in our price range?” Olivia asked.

“Yes. I double-checked with Paige before I even suggested it.”

“But how?”

“The owners are empty-nesters who are looking to sell it quickly,” Paige explained. “They’re empty-nesters who recently moved out of state to be near their grandchildren. Their only request was that I find a family to buy it. They want another family to be able to make happy memories here, like they did. As this is one of the larger units, I did inform them it might be a little bit of a harder sell as not many families want to live in the city. Which is why they reduced their original asking price. Rafael called before I could update the listing, so you’re the first ones I’m going to be offering it to at the lower price.”

* * *

“Wow,” Olivia said as she, Rafael, and Noah walked around the condo. “It’s a lot…homier…than I had pictured in my mind. I like the open floor plan downstairs, too.”

“Are all of the bedrooms upstairs?” Rafael asked.

“Three up, one down. Bathroom on each floor. Master bedroom has a walk-in closet and the kitchen has a large pantry,” Paige replied. “Shall we go upstairs?”

Olivia nodded, following Paige, Rafael, and Noah up the stairs to the second floor. They viewed the master bedroom first, followed by the other two bedrooms and upstairs bathroom.

“Can you give us a minute?” Rafael asked Paige once they were finished with the tour.

“Of course. I’ll be downstairs,” Paige replied with a smile.

“I think this is it, Rafa,” Olivia whispered, walking through the rooms again. “I can see our bedroom, and Noah’s. I think the downstairs bedroom could be your office and the other room up here would make a good guest room.”

“I can see it, too,” Rafael said before turning to their son. “What do you think, _mijo_?”

“I like it,” he replied with a smile.

* * *

“We’ll take it,” Rafael announced as he, Olivia, and Noah joined Paige downstairs.

“Perfect,” Paige replied with a smile. “Do you have time to fill out the paperwork now?”

“Are you okay with that, _mijo_?” Rafael asked his son once he had exchanged a look with Olivia.

“I have my book,” Noah replied with a nod, taking a seat at the kitchen table.

* * *

“When will we know if our offer is accepted?” Olivia asked as they prepared to leave.

“I am going to call the owners once I get home and we’ll be in touch from there. Hopefully I will have an answer for you soon,” Paige told her.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Rafael has my number if you have any other questions.”

* * *

The following afternoon, as he, Olivia, and Noah pulled up to his mother’s house for dinner, Rafael heard his phone ring and saw Paige’s name on the display.

“Hi Paige,” he answered, putting the phone on speaker.

“I have good news and bad news,” she said.

“Tell us the bad news first,” Olivia requested.

“You have to fill out some more paperwork.”

Exchanging a glance with his girlfriend, Rafael turned his attention back to his friend.

“What’s the good news?” he asked.

“The owners accepted your offer. I’d like to find some time this week to get together to get that paperwork completed. I can meet you somewhere if that’s more convenient.”

“Liv and I need to check our schedules, but I’m sure we can figure something out. I’ll let you know.”

“Sounds good. Congratulations.”

“We’re moving?” Noah asked from the back seat.

“Yes, but not quite yet,” Olivia answered.

“To the place we looked at yesterday?”

“Yes.”

“Good,” Noah replied, eliciting amused chuckles from both of his parents.

* * *

“Ready?” Rafael asked Olivia and Noah as he raised his hand to knock on his mother’s door.

“Yes,” Olivia replied after sharing a glance with their son.

“Rafi!” Lucia greeted with a smile and a kiss on the cheek before turning to the two people beside him. “Olivia, it’s nice to see you again.”

“It’s nice to see you again, too,” Olivia replied with a smile.

“This must be Noah,” Lucia said, her smile growing as she noticed the way the boy had Rafael’s and Olivia’s hands in a tight grip.

“ _Hola_ ,” Noah said, looking up at Rafael for reassurance.

“Good job, _mijo_ ,” Rafael told him, running a hand over his hair.

Making a mental note to ask her son about the use of that particular term of endearment, Lucia welcomed the trio inside.

* * *

While Olivia and Noah played together in the living room, Rafael walked into the kitchen to help his mother with dinner.

“What can I do, _Mami_?” he asked.

“You called him _mijo_.” Lucia observed.

“He and Liv claimed me.”

“ _Claimed_ you?”

Rafael nodded, suddenly turning serious. “ _Sí, Mami. Ella es mi alma gemela_.”

“Oh, Rafi,” Lucia said, tears forming in her eyes.

“Don’t start,” Rafael warned her with a somewhat watery laugh.

“ _Lo siento, mijo_. I’m just so happy for you.”

“You hardly know her. You don’t know Noah at all.”

“I can see it on your face, Rafi. In your smile. I can hear it in the way you talk about them.”

“I love both of them so much, _Mami_.”

Lucia cupped Rafael’s face in her hands as she spoke. “I know, _mijo_. I’m glad the three of you were able to find your way back to each other. Now, tell me more about that adorable little boy of yours.”

* * *

After dinner, Olivia and Rafael were both surprised when Noah followed Lucia into the kitchen and hopped up on a stool at the island to continue the conversation they’d started at dinner.

“I think our son has a new best friend,” Rafael commented, reaching over to play with the ends of Olivia’s hair as he spoke.

“I feel like I’m in a dream,” Olivia confessed, resting her head on his shoulder. “One I don’t ever want to wake up from.”

“This isn’t a dream, _mi amor_.”

Smiling, Olivia turned her head to catch his lips with hers in a quick kiss. “I love you,” she told him softly.

“I love you, too.”

* * *

A short while later, while Noah and Rafael played together in the living room, Lucia and Olivia got better acquainted while they each drank a glass of wine.

“Rafi said you’re a captain now?” Lucia began.

“Yes,” Olivia replied with a smile. “It’s a recent promotion.”

“Congratulations. It’s always nice to have your hard work recognized.”

“It is. Rafa said you are the administrator at a small catholic school?”

“St. Theresa’s. I’ve been there for…a while,” Lucia said with a laugh.

“Do you enjoy it?”

“Very much. On the bad days, I try to remind myself of that.”

“I can understand that. I think Rafa can too, even if he won’t always admit it.”

“You know him well.”

“He’s my best friend…and he knows me just as well. I never put much stock into fate or soul mates…but then I met Rafa and something just felt…right. We drove each other crazy, probably always will a little bit, but my life wouldn’t be complete without him. Noah claimed him as his father and there’s no one else that could fill that role but Rafa,” Olivia said, tears beginning to fall as she thought of the journey that had brought them all together again. “Sorry, I get a little emotional thinking about it all.”

Lucia handed the younger woman a tissue as she dabbed her eyes with one of her own.

“I had a feeling about you two,” she revealed. “The day we first met in the courthouse.”

“I remember that day. That was when I first found out that he talks about me to other people. I also remember the first day I met him. He made a comment about bring your daughters to work day.”

Lucia laughed as she pictured the scene Olivia had described. “That sounds like him.”

“Sometimes I swear _that_ Rafael Barba and the one playing with our son are two different people.”

“I always thought of it as two sides of the same coin. He can be very guarded, and he doesn’t let a lot of people in. I’m so very glad he let you in. You and that little boy.”

“He would say we weaseled our way in.”

Lucia laughed again as she nodded. “That sounds like him, too.”

* * *

While Olivia helped Noah with his coat, Lucia pulled Rafael back into the kitchen.

“As promised,” she said, handing him the small velvet box. “Thank you for bringing them. Maybe we could make this a weekly thing?”

“I’ll talk to Liv. I’m sure we can make something work,” Rafael replied as he slipped the box into his pocket. “What do you think of them?”

“I already adore them both. Take care of them, Rafi.”

“I will,” he promised, bending to press a kiss to her cheek. “ _Te amo, Mami_.”

“ _Te amo, mijo_ ,” Lucia returned.

* * *

“Go say goodnight to Miss Lucia,” Olivia said once she had finished helping Noah with his coat.

Instead of doing exactly as his mother had instructed, he tugged on his father’s hand and indicated he wanted to ask a question. Bending down to Noah’s eye level, Rafael listened intently to the question and smiled before he answered. After practicing what he wanted to say in his head, Noah turned to Lucia.

“ _Buenas noches, Abuelita_ ,” he said proudly, earning him smiles from both all three adults in the room.

“ _Buenas noches, nieto_ ,” Lucia replied, bending down to give him a hug.

“Thank you for dinner,” Olivia said as she received her hug from Lucia. “It was delicious.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, _mija_.”

* * *

Later that night, after putting Noah to bed and making love with each other, Olivia and Rafael lay curled together in their bed.

“I have something important to ask you,” Rafael said, brushing hair back from Olivia’s face and pressing a soft kiss to her lips.

“You can ask me anything,” she replied before pulling him back down for another kiss.

“Close your eyes.”

“Rafa?”

“Close your eyes,” Rafael repeated.

Doing as he asked, Olivia closed her eyes and tried to think of what question he was so serious about asking her. Her heart started to beat faster as she heard the drawer of his nightstand open and close.

“Open your eyes.”

Opening her eyes, Olivia looked down to see Rafael holding a small velvet box.

“I know we technically just got together a few days ago, but I don’t want to waste any more time. I love you, Liv. I have for a long time…and I will for the rest of my life. I love Noah, and I want us to officially be a family,” he said as he opened the box and held it out to show her contents. Will you marry me?”

Olivia couldn’t stop the tears from running down her face as she looked between the ring and the man she loved. Her best friend.

“Yes,” she whispered, nodding her head to make sure Rafael knew what she was saying. Once he had slid the ring onto her finger, she cupped his face in her hands and pressed her lips to his.

“It was my _abuelita’s_ ,” he explained a few minutes later.

“It’s gorgeous. I love you, Rafa. So much.”

“There’s one more thing.”

“Did you call a judge to marry us immediately?” she joked.

Rafael laughed as he shook his head. “That’s not a bad idea, though. It’s about Noah, actually.”

“Way ahead of you,” Olivia replied, happy to be able to surprise him this time. Reaching into her own nightstand, she took out a manila envelope and handed it to him.

“Petition for adoption,” he read.

“There’s more.”

Looking through the additional pages, Rafael noticed two legal name change forms, with Noah Porter Barba and Olivia Benson Barba written in the field indicating what their names were being changed to.

“I hope you don’t mind us taking your name,” Olivia said softly.

Rafael simply shook his head, unable to form words to express how he felt. Setting the papers aside, he pulled Olivia back into his arms and pressed his lips to hers, putting all of the feelings he couldn’t say out loud into the kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to say a quick thank you to everyone who has commented on this fic so far, and those who have left kudos. I'm not the biggest fan of my own writing, but the story seems well received and has provided my muse inspiration, so I figured I'd keep going. Also wanted to say thank you to all the other Barson fanfic writers out there. I'm a little late to the fandom, but you all are the ones who inspired me to start writing Barson in the first place, so like I said, thank you.
> 
> My Spanish is limited-I took classes in school and have a basic understanding of the language, and can read it better than I can write or speak it, so I used google translate for a few things (my apologies if it's wrong). 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the latest chapter (and if there's anything you'd like to see, let me know in the comments)

Walking up to his grandmother’s grave, Rafael laid down the flowers he’d brought before he began to speak.

“ _Hola, Abuelita_. I miss you,” he began, taking a deep breath and letting it out before continuing. “I’m never going to be a judge…but I’ve realized that there’s more to life than my career. I did some pretty stupid things over the last couple of years, but I feel like I’m in a really good place now. Lieutenant Benson…Olivia…she’s a captain now. I’m proud of her. She forgave me for being an idiot and leaving her instead of telling her how I really felt. _Ella es mi vida, mi alma gemela._ She and her son both let me back into their lives…and he thinks of me as his father…Liv likes to say that they chose me. I gave her your ring, we’re getting married. I’m back at the DA’s office and with SVU. I start my new job tomorrow…helping junior ADAs. I hope you’d be proud of me. _Te amo_.”

* * *

When he returned home, Rafael saw Noah was watching cartoons and playing with his newest Legos and Olivia was nowhere to be seen.

“Where’s your Mom, _mijo_?” he asked, taking a seat on the couch behind his son.

“Shower. She said I could watch cartoons and play Legos, and then you’d help me with my spelling when you got home. But I want to finish this episode.”

“How much longer?”

Noah shrugged; his attention mostly on the Legos in front of him.

“Noah? Is something wrong?” Rafael asked, noticing the way the boy was mostly just moving Legos around on the table.

“You left again,” he said softly.

Reaching for the remote, Rafael paused the episode and then turned his attention back to his son.

“Come here, _mijo_.”

Needing no further encouragement, Noah discarded his Legos and crawled into his father’s lap. Wrapping his arms around the boy, Rafael pressed a kiss to the top of his head before he spoke.

“I wanted to visit my _Abuelita_ before tomorrow. That’s where I went. I bought her flowers and brought them to her. Well, to her grave.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Yes. We were close. She died a few years ago.”

“Why did need to go see her? Was it her birthday?”

Rafael chuckled, pressing another kiss to Noah’s head.

“No, it wasn’t her birthday. I haven’t visited a lot lately, and I wanted to do it before I start my new job tomorrow. I’m…kind of nervous about it. She always made me feel better.”

“Will my _Abuelita_ and I be close like you and yours were?”

“I hope so.”

“Do you feel better now?”

“Much. I’m sorry for not explaining to you where I was going. You were still asleep when I left and I didn’t want to wake you.”

Before Rafael or Noah could say anything else, they were interrupted by the sound of the latter’s stomach rumbling.

“Your _Mami_ didn’t feed you?” Rafael asked with a laugh.

“She said we couldn’t eat until _Abuelita_ got here.”

“ _Abuelita_ is coming over?”

Noah nodded. “She called and said something about these things called _pastelitos_. I think she wanted to drop them off, but Mom invited her to stay for brunch.”

“You going to be okay here for a minute while I go talk to your mom?”

Noah nodded, giving his father a hug before sliding off of his lap and returning his attention back to the cartoons and Legos.

* * *

“Liv?” Rafael called, walking towards their bedroom.

“Rafa,” Olivia replied with a smile, walking out of the room and greeting him with a soft kiss. “How was your visit?”

“How do you know where I went?”

“Rafa, I know you. You gave me your _Abuelita’s_ ring. You, Noah, and I are a family now. You reconnected with your mom. You’re starting a new job tomorrow. Of course you’d go see your grandmother.”

“Noah mentioned _pastelitos_.”

Olivia laughed, leaning in for another kiss. “Your mom called, asked when a good time to drop them off would be. I asked her if she’d like to join us for brunch, since she was coming over anyway, and she accepted. I managed to hold our son’s curiosity about said pastries off by offering cartoons and Legos.”

“Our son,” Rafael repeated softly, pressing a kiss to Olivia’s temple. “I like the sound of that.”

“Me, too,” Olivia agreed. “Do you want to tell your mom about our engagement?”

“I had to ask her for the ring, so she pretty much already knows…but yes. If that’s okay with you…”

“Of course. She called me _mija_ the other night.”

“I heard. She’s liked you since the moment you met.”

“Feeling’s mutual.”

“Did my mom say what time she’d be over?”

“Ten, I think. Is Noah getting hungry?”

“Yes.”

“Why don’t you cut some apple slices for him and I’ll pry him away from the Legos?” Olivia suggested.

“Deal,” Rafael replied, leaning over to brush his lips with hers once more.

* * *

A short while later, while Olivia, Rafael, and Noah watched another episode of the cartoon, they heard a knock at the door. Reluctantly leaving his fiancée and their son on the couch, Rafael stood to answer the door. Looking through the peephole, he saw his mother standing there.

“ _Buenos días, Mami_ ,” Rafael greeted, bending to press a kiss to her cheek.

“ _Buenos días, mijo_ ,” Lucia replied with a smile, following him into the apartment.

“ _Abuelita_!” Noah’s excited shout interrupted anything else the adults were going to say.

Handing her bag to her son, Lucia knelt down to accept her grandson’s hug.

“ _Buenos días_ , _nieto_. Are you ready for your first _pastelito_?”

“Yes. Did you bring the books?”

“Books?” Rafael asked.

“Noah wanted to know if your mom had any children’s books in Spanish that he could have,” Olivia explained as she joined the trio. “ _Buenos días,_ Lucia.”

Standing, Lucia pulled Olivia into a hug. “ _Buenos días, mija_. How has my son been treating you?”

Rafael rolled his eyes, eliciting a laugh from Olivia.

“He’s amazing, _maravilloso_ ,” She replied, laughing again when she saw the surprised look her future mother-in-law gave her.

“You speak Spanish?” she asked as they followed Rafael and Noah into the kitchen.

“Yes.”

“Imagine my surprise when I started speaking in Spanish and realized she understood every word,” Rafael added.

“Were you grumbling about how she drives you crazy?” Lucia guessed.

“Something like that,” Olivia replied with a smile as Rafael began to gather the ingredients for blueberry pancakes.

“Can we tell _Abuelita_ the good news now?” Noah asked his parents.

“Good news?” Lucia repeated, looking between her son and Olivia.

Olivia moved to stand beside Rafael, wrapping an arm around his waist as he spoke.

“Yes. Olivia and I are getting married,” he said as Olivia held up her left hand.

Lucia felt tears prick her eyes as she looked at her son and future daughter-in-law. The woman she already considered a daughter in her heart.

“ _Mami_?” Rafael asked cautiously.

“I’m happy for you,” she said, moving to hug them both. “Happy you found your way back to each other and were able to move forward together.”

“Can we make pancakes now?” Noah asked, oblivious to the tears in the eyes of the three adults. “I want to be the s…shoe…sous…chef again!”

Rafael laughed, pressing a kiss to the side of Olivia’s head before releasing her and walking over to pick up their son. “Think you can flip a pancake this time?” he asked.

“Yeah!”

“I guess that’s our cue to get out of the way,” Olivia said to Lucia. “Would you like a cup of coffee?”

“I’d love one.”

* * *

After eating the pancakes that Rafael and Noah had made, Lucia brought out the _pastelitos_.

“These are delicious,” Olivia said after biting into an apple flavored one.

“They’re one of Rafi’s favorites,” Lucia said with a smile, watching as Rafael pulled Noah onto his lap and cut a piece of a _pastelito_ for the little boy to try. “They’re adorable together.”

Olivia smiled and nodded. “They adore each other. He’s a good father. He and Noah just made it official a few days ago, but I think they’ve been father and son for years.”

“What do you think, _mijo_?” Rafael asked.

“ _Delicioso_!” Noah declared, eliciting laughter from the three adults.

“I think the _pastelitos_ are officially a hit,” Olivia said to the older woman before being interrupted by the sound of an incoming message on her phone.

“Is everything okay?” Rafael wondered, noticing the way her smile had turned into a frown.

“Lucy’s class schedule got switched last minute and now she can’t take Noah to school tomorrow morning. I don’t want you to be late on your first day back and I promised Chief Garland I’d be in first thing.”

“I could take him,” Lucia volunteered. “I usually go in a little later on Mondays anyway.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’d love to.”

“What do you think, Noah?” Olivia asked.

“ _Abuelita_ is going to bring me to school?”

“Yes. Is that okay?”

“Can I have more _pastelitos_?”

“Maybe next weekend. If you’re good for your parents all week,” Lucia answered.

“Okay,” Noah agreed with a shrug. Turning to his father, he asked his next question. “Can we build Legos now?”

“Go brush your teeth, then we can,” Rafael replied.

Sighing, Noah nodded, sliding off of his father’s lap to go do as he was instructed.

* * *

The next morning, Rafael was tying his tie when he noticed Noah watching him intently.

“What’s up, _mijo_?” he asked.

“How do you do that so quickly?” Noah wondered.

“Years of practice.”

“If I…”

After he had finished knotting the tie, Rafael crouched in front of his son.

“If you…what?” he asked.

Reaching out to play with the tie currently around Rafael’s neck, Noah considered his question.

“If I got you a new tie…would you wear it?”

“Absolutely,” Rafael replied. When the boy continued playing with the fabric, he got the feeling something else was wrong. “What else is bothering you?”

“I wish you could take me to school,” Noah said softly.

“I do, too, but it’s my first day back at work and I can’t be late. I’ll be home after work and we can work on your Legos some more, okay?”

“Can we read a Spanish book tonight?”

“Sure. Maybe you can talk your _Abuelita_ into buying you another one while she takes you to school.”

“Do you think she would?”

“I think so. You’ll have to ask nicely, though.”

Noah nodded, letting go of the tie to wrap his arms around Rafael’s neck.

“ _Te amo_ ,” he said.

“ _También te amo_ ,” Rafael replied with a smile.

Hearing a knock at the door, Noah leaned back to look at Rafael again. “Do you think that’s _Abuelita_?”

“Why don’t you go find out? I’ll be out in a minute.”

Noah nodded, running off to the living room to see who had arrived.

* * *

As she walked her grandson to school, Lucia smiled as she listened to him talk. He reminded her so much of Rafael when he was young that she sometimes couldn’t believe the boy wasn’t actually biologically his. But he, the boy, and Olivia had chosen each other and now they were a family, and she was happy to be included.

“Did you walk my dad to school when he was my age?” Noah wondered.

“I did,” Lucia confirmed. “He wasn’t always very enthusiastic about it, though.”

“I don’t always like going to school, either. But my mom says I have to.”

“Your Mami is right. School is important. I have to go to school, too.”

“You do?” Noah asked, looking up at his grandmother in surprise.

Lucia laughed as she nodded. “Yes. I work at a school near my house.”

“Are you a teacher?”

“Not anymore, although I fill in for the teachers sometimes.”

“Are you their boss?”

“Something like that.”

“Can I visit you at your school sometime?”

“Maybe. We’ll have to talk to your parents about it.”

“ _Abuelita_ , look, it’s a bookstore!” Noah exclaimed, pointing to a nearby store. “Do you think they have any books in Spanish?”

Lucia looked at her watch, and seeing that they had a few minutes to spare, decided to let her grandson browse. She wasn’t going to discourage him from reading and she didn’t think either of his parents would have a problem with him getting a new book.

“Hold onto my hand tightly, _nieto_ , and we can look. Just for a couple of minutes, though, okay? I don’t want you to be late for school.”

“I will,” Noah promised.

* * *

Walking into his office, Rafael was surprised to find two presents on his desk. Setting his briefcase down, he grabbed the note off of the new bottle of scotch first.

_Rafael,_

_About time you came back to where you belong. Looking forward to sparring with you again soon._

_-Rita_

_P.S. the courthouse leaks like a sieve_

Laughing, Rafael put the scotch in his bottom drawer and turned his attention to the next present. Untying the bow and opening the lid, he saw a note on top of a picture frame. Picking up the note, he recognized Olivia’s handwriting.

_Rafa,_

_Noah and I thought your desk could use a little decoration. Good luck on your first day. I’ll see you soon._

_Always yours,_

_Liv_

Setting the note aside, he turned his attention to the frame. Inside was a picture of him, Olivia, and Noah. The one Noah had insisted on taking himself with Olivia’s phone on Saturday. Smiling, he took the frame out of the box and set it on his desk.

“I think that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in over two years,” a voice commented from the doorway.

Looking up, Rafael saw Jack McCoy standing there.

“Jack,” he said politely.

“Welcome back, Rafael,” Jack said as he entered the office. “I mean it. I’m glad you’re back. Olivia isn’t the only one who wishes you’d never left.”

“You had a funny way of showing it.”

“I’m sorry, Rafael. I regret a lot about what happened with that case.”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. It was two years ago. What’s done is done. I accepted Alex’s job offer because I thought I could make a difference here.”

“I think you will. Carisi told me how you let him shadow you while he was studying for the bar. You left an impression on him and I think he’s a better ADA for it.”

“Liv has had good things to say about him,” Rafael agreed.

“Did she tell you about the trouble we’ve been having with the Tobias Moore case?”

“Briefly.”

“The man won’t show up in court, keeps coming up with excuses. At least we’re fairly certain they’re excuses. Alex and I advised Carisi to review the case, make sure it’s airtight, while we try to get him to appear.”

“I’ll talk to Carisi, review everything with him and the SVU squad,” Rafael replied. “I’m not going to take over the case unless he asks me to, Jack. This is Carisi’s.”

“Understood,” Jack said with a nod of his head. “Let me know if you need anything.”

Watching Jack walk out of the room, Rafael finally noticed Carisi standing in the doorway.

“How much of that did you hear?’ he asked.

“Most of it,” Carisi answered with a shrug.

“I meant what I said, Carisi. This is your case. I’ll do everything I can to help you, but I’ll only take over if you want me to.”

“Thanks.”

Rafael nodded, motioning for the younger man to take a seat before doing the same himself. Glancing over at the picture of his family, he took a breath and then turned his attention back to Carisi. “Start at the beginning and tell me _everything_.”

* * *

Once Carisi had filled Rafael in on the case, as well as what had happened with Hadid, the former decided to ask the question he’d been wondering since he’d heard the latter was coming back.

“Can I ask what made you decide to accept Alex’s job offer?”

“Liv,” Rafael replied easily. “I had been trying to find a job that would allow me to remain in New York full time, but wasn’t having much luck…all things considered. But then Alex called and told me what was going on. I knew Stone hadn’t been a hit, and rumor has it McCoy ended up being unhappy with him as an ADA…something about not being his father. I figured that had to be hard on Liv. When Alex offered me the chance to work with her again, even somewhat indirectly, and to be able to come back to New York full time, I jumped at the chance. I asked her to let me tell Liv. She also mentioned something about all of you cornering McCoy one day.”

Carisi chuckled at the memory. “We did. Lu was _furious_. I’ve never seen her that mad. She didn’t even wait for McCoy’s assistant to see if he was available, she just walked right in.”

“She has a habit of doing that,” Rafael muttered.

Carisi laughed again before continuing. “She told McCoy he was an idiot for pressing charges against you, for letting you just walk away, and that Stone was a complete failure of an ADA. When she found out what we did with the last case, I thought she was going to fire all of us. Anyway, she finished by telling McCoy to get his head out of his ass and find a way to get you back because everyone was suffering without you. Alex was with us for that particular conversation, as you know, and that must be what started the wheels turning in her head.”

“I kind of would have liked to be a fly on the wall for that conversation,” Rafael said with a smile.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen McCoy so shocked. Alex and Fin seemed impressed. Rollins and I were a bit shocked, never having seen her get so mad before. Kat wasn’t part of the team yet at that point, but she probably would have had a similar reaction to Alex and Fin.”

“What makes you say that?”

“One of the first things she said to me was that my outfit said lawyer but my shoes said cop.”

“I only met her once, but I can kind of see that happening, actually,” Rafael revealed with a laugh.

“You seem happier,” Carisi observed.

Rafael nodded. “I am. I have Liv and Noah, and my mom and I are in a good place. I’m home.”

“Good. I’m happy for you, both of you.” Circling back to an earlier topic, Carisi regarded the older man again. “Would you really take over the case?”

“If that’s what you want. Granted, it has to be approved, but still. Why? Are you thinking that’s what you want?”

“I don’t know. I just want this guy to get his ass handed to him…and if that means handing the case over to you, then that’s what I’ll do. I feel like he and his judge-turned-lawyer again are just going to keep pulling more tricks that I won’t be able to keep up with and this guy will end up getting away with everything.”

“All right, well, regardless of who takes lead on the case, I’d still like to talk to Liv and the rest of the squad about this. I wasn’t there when the investigation was going on, so I would like to hear first-hand what their take on everything is. Not that I don’t trust your notes…”

“I understand. Let’s go, then. The sooner you get filled in, the better.”

* * *

Olivia was finishing up some paperwork when she heard a knock at her door. Looking up, she was surprised to see Amanda standing in her doorway.

“Got a sec?” she asked.

“Of course,” Olivia replied, already noticing the nerves of the younger woman as she closed the door and took a seat in a nearby chair.

“Can we take a break from being boss and employee and just have a minute of girl talk?”

“Is everything okay?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are Jesse and Billie okay?”

“Yeah, they’re great.”

“Carisi,” Olivia guessed.

“How did you know?”

Olivia laughed. “You really spent six years working with Rafael and me, and you’re still asking that question?”

Amanda smiled, then turned serious again and sighed. “I’m pretty sure I’m in love with him,” she confessed.

“Pretty sure?”

“Yeah. I mean, he’s great with both my kids. It’s like it was always meant to be the four of us.”

“I know that feeling.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. Rafael wasn’t as comfortable with Noah as a baby as Carisi was with Jesse and then Billie, but it didn’t take them long to warm to each other. Once they did, Rafael quickly became Noah’s favorite honorary uncle. At the same time, Rafael and I got closer. He became my best friend. He was the first person to make me feel like it was okay to just be _me_. I didn’t need to be some vision of myself he had in his head, like with Brian and Ed. I was devastated when he left, mad at myself for not telling him how I really felt sooner. But he’s back now and it kind of scares me how much it’s like he never left. Like it’s always been him, Noah, and me. Noah even calls him ‘dad’ now.”

“Doesn’t that scare you?”

“It did, at first. Now, though? It makes me incredibly happy,” she answered, reaching for her coffee and taking a sip.

“Did Barba _propose_?!” Amanda nearly exclaimed as she reached for Olivia’s left hand, having noticed the ring when Olivia picked up her coffee cup.

“He did.”

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you. But we were talking about you and Carisi, not me and Rafael.”

“Right,” Amanda said before taking a breath and letting it out. “I don’t know what to do, Liv. I’ve never been big on long-term commitments…but with Sonny…I can’t see a future without him in it. Not just as my friend…but as my partner…through, well, everything. He’s the favorite of both my girls, like Barba is with Noah.”

“I can’t tell you what to do, Amanda, but I can tell you that finally being able to be with Rafael is everything I ever imagined and more. I’m marrying my best friend. As your friend, if being with Carisi is what you want, I think you should go for it. As your boss, I want to make sure you’re aware that I expect you to disclose if you decide to go that route. Rafael will expect the same of Carisi.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Amanda said as she stood. “Do you mind if I take a quick break and walk around? I’ll keep my cell on me…”

“Go ahead,” Olivia told her. “Mind picking me up another coffee on the way back?”

“Sure,” Amanda agreed, opening the door. “On second thought, I guess I’ll have to owe you one. Seems your coffee fix has been covered.”

“Huh?”

“Your husband-to-be is here with his new sidekick.”

“Why is Rafa here?”

“Beats me. I’m sure he’ll fill you in. Think he’ll mind if I steal Carisi for that walk?”

“He could probably use a break,” Olivia said with a laugh.

* * *

Watching Rafael and Carisi walk into the squad room, Kat couldn’t resist teasing the latter again.

“See, Carisi, _that_ is how you fully dress like a lawyer,” she said, indicating Barba, who simply smirked and continued on his way to Olivia’s office.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Carisi replied, feeling slightly irritated.

“You know she’s just giving you a hard time, right?” Amanda asked as she approached, placing a hand on his arm.

“I know,” Carisi replied, letting out a breath. “It’s been a long morning.”

Sensing that Carisi needed to talk as much as she did, maybe more, she looped her arm through his and began to guide him out of the room.

“Come on, let’s walk and talk.”

* * *

Walking into Olivia’s office, Rafael set her coffee on her desk before leaning down and giving her a light kiss.

“Hi,” he greeted as he perched on the edge of her desk, facing her.

“Hi,” Olivia returned with a smile, picking up the new cup of coffee. “Thanks for this.”

“Of course. Everything okay?”

“I’m a little worried about the Moore case, and about Amanda, but overall, things are good here. How was your morning?”

“I’ll tell you about it later, after Noah’s asleep. Heard more about your run-in with McCoy, though.”

“Carisi told you the whole story?”

“I can’t believe you told Jack McCoy to get his head out of his ass,” Rafael told her with a laugh.

“I can’t, either. I was so mad; I wasn’t really paying much attention to what I was saying. I just wanted you back so badly. Not only in my life, but to work with you again. I had fought with Noah the night before and hadn’t slept well, plus I had just found out about everything Stone and my squad did without my knowledge. It all kind of cumulated into yelling at McCoy because I saw him as the person responsible for the whole mess.”

“Liv…”

“I know, I know, we’ve talked about this. But I wasn’t thinking rationally at that moment, and I’ll never forgive McCoy for what he did to you.”

Rafael nodded, taking a sip of his own coffee as he heard Olivia let out a breath.

“So, aside from what you’ve already told me, what worries you about the Moore case?” he asked a few moments later.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being a little longer than I had originally planned, but there were a few more things from canon that I wanted to fix, so it is what it is.   
> I ship Barson and Rollisi, and I feel there's a lot of parallels between the two couples, so I decided to go ahead and include the latter in this chapter. Still mostly Barsonoah, though :)   
> Most of the translations come from Google Translate, so my apologies if they're wrong. As I've said before, I know a limited amount of Spanish, so I'm fairly confident about those words. My only knowledge of Italian is the similarity of some of the words to their Spanish counterparts.   
> Thank you again to everyone who has left kudos and commented. The comments keep me and my muse happy.

* * *

Once she and Carisi were outside, Amanda decided to table the discussion she wanted to have for the one she had a feeling he needed.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, looking up to study his face carefully.

“McCoy doesn’t think I can handle the Moore case,” he answered with a sigh.

“What makes you say that?”

“I heard him talking to Barba this morning.”

“Well, what did Barba say?”

“He told McCoy that he wouldn’t take over the case unless _I_ asked him to, that the case was mine.”

“McCoy can be an ass,” Amanda reminded him.

“I know, but his opinion matters probably the most to a lot of people in the DA’s office. He _is_ the DA,” Carisi replied.

“Alex clearly thinks you can handle it, otherwise she would have assigned someone else to it. Barba does, too.”

“I’ve been thinking about asking him to take over.”

“Are you sure?”

Carisi sighed as he took a seat on a nearby bench, putting his elbows on his knees and running his hands through his hair. “I don’t know, Manda. I’m afraid that Barth is going to pull some trick I won’t see coming and everything will fall apart. Babra thinks we have a good case, but he wanted to go over it with the rest of the squad since he wasn’t there from the beginning.”

Amanda took a seat next to him, rubbing a hand up and down his back in comfort. “Do you think giving the case to Barba would make you seem like a failure?”

“Honestly? Yeah, kinda.”

“You are _not_ a failure, Sonny Carisi. Do you hear me?”

Sonny looked over at her before he spoke again. “The only reason I’m being allowed to take cases to trial right now is because I used to work for SVU and have some experience shadowing Barba a couple of years ago.”

“You and I both know that’s not true. You’re a good lawyer, Sonny. You have great mentors in Barba and Alex. McCoy doesn’t know what he’s talking about half the time. Barba was a better ADA than he ever was, and you will be, too. I know two little girls who already think you’re the greatest.”

“They’re biased.”

Amanda smiled and shrugged. “Maybe. But no matter what you decide, they’re still going to love and adore you. Jesse keeps asking when you’re going to come over and make spaghetti again. Apparently store-bought doesn’t compare to _Nonna_ Carisi’s recipe.”

“I miss them…and you. I haven’t seen you much lately.”

“I’ve been trying to figure out how I’m going to make ends meet now that my child support is ending.”

“What do you mean?”

“Neither Declan nor Al apparently has any desire to have a relationship with their respective daughter, so I told them that they should just sign away their parental rights and be done with it. I won’t ask them for a thing.”

“Manda…”

“Neither was father material, anyway. It’s not like they really knew either of them. I’d rather they walk away now than let the girls get attached and then do it.”

“You going to be okay?”

“I’ll figure it out.”

“You don’t have to do everything yourself.”

“Feels like it sometimes,” Amanda confessed. “My mom cares more about my sister’s kid than my girls, and when she does come around, she never follows my instructions and I end up with cranky kids up till God knows when.”

“I would offer to come over and make _Nonna's_ spaghetti, but I’m not sure when I’m going to get out of here…this thing is supposed to go trial in two days, with or without Moore present. If Barba takes over the case, we have to get it approved. He’ll want to talk to the witnesses himself…”

“Sonny, take a breath.”

Doing as Amanda instructed, Carisi closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before opening his eyes and looking at her.

“What do _you_ think is the right thing to do with this case? What would make _you_ feel the most confident about getting a conviction?”

“I think Barba should take over. I don’t want to let this guy get away…and I don’t trust Barth one bit. I know he can’t take over every case for me, but we’ve already had so much trouble with this one…”

“So let’s go tell Liv and Barba,” Amanda said as she stood.

* * *

Walking back into the precinct, Carisi felt Amanda give his arm a reassuring squeeze before she returned to her desk and he continued on towards Olivia’s office, where he knew Rafael would still be.

“Hey, boss, got a minute?” he asked, knocking on the open door.

“Sure,” Rafael replied, standing and rounding Olivia’s desk.

“You two can chat in here, I need to get up and walk around a little,” Olivia offered, brushing a hand over Rafael’s shoulders as she passed by. “I’ve had enough paperwork for a while.”

“Thanks, Lu,” Carisi told her, receiving a small nod in reply.

“What’s up?” Rafael asked curiously, leaning back against the front of Olivia’s desk.

“I think you should take over the Moore case.”

“Are you sure?”

Carisi nodded. “I think it’s for the best.”

“I’ll take the lead, but you should stay on as co-counsel. I’ll call Alex, let her know, and we’ll go talk to the judge tomorrow. If you can get your witnesses back here, I’d like to speak to them myself. In the meantime, gather the team and we’ll go over what we have.”

“You got it, boss,” Carisi said, taking his phone out of his pocket as he walked away.

Shaking his head, Rafael grabbed his phone and called his own boss. He wasn’t sure if he needed to let her know about the change, they hadn’t really talked about how in the loop she wanted to me, but he knew she’d been very involved as the ADA, so he figured it was best to call her just in case.

* * *

A few hours later, as Rafael and Carisi gathered with Olivia and her team to go over the evidence, they were both surprised to see not only Alex, but also McCoy, walk into the room.

“Are we in trouble?” Carisi whispered to Rafael.

“I don’t see why we would be,” he replied, doing his best to hide his annoyance at seeing McCoy again so soon.

“Alex, Jack,” Olivia greeted. “What are you two doing here?”

“Just checking in,” Alex answered with a pointed look for McCoy.

“I, uh, also wanted to apologize to Mr. Carisi in person,” McCoy added.

Olivia exchanged confused looks with Rafael and Carisi before turning back to the DA. “Apologize for what?” she wondered.

“I may have made him feel like he couldn’t handle the case and he should just give it to Rafael. I was with Alex when Rafael called to tell us about him taking the lead…”

“And…” Alex prompted.

McCoy sighed. “…and I wanted to apologize and assure him that’s not what I meant, that I _do_ have confidence in his abilities. I wouldn’t have hired him if I didn’t.”

“That’s more of an apology than I ever got,” Rafael muttered to himself, Carisi and Olivia still speechless on either side of him.

Olivia looked over at him, clearly having heard his comment, and he shook his head at her. Eyes flashing anger and annoyance, she stood as she addressed McCoy. “Everything is under control, I assure you. Rafael wanted to go over all of the evidence, get our perspectives, speak to the witnesses himself. There’s a reason he is the best ADA we ever had…and why Sonny will be great as well. Not everyone can get a job at the DA’s office right out of law school.”

“Liv…” Rafael said quietly.

“You’re right,” McCoy said, surprising nearly everyone in the room. “We should have offered the bureau chief position to Rafael as soon as it was created. However, I never should have had him prosecuted two years ago, either. Hiring Peter Stone was a mistake as well. Turns out I don’t know as much as I thought I did and I was blinded by own ego.”

“Damn,” Fin said under his breath, Kat nodding in agreement from his side.

“Can we do anything else for you, Jack?” Olivia asked, just wanting to get him out of her squadroom.

“It seems you have it covered, so I’ll leave you to it. Good luck. If I can be of any assistance, just let me know,” McCoy answered, nodding his head at her, Rafael, and Carisi before turning and walking towards the elevators.

“Did you yell at him?” Olivia asked Alex once McCoy had left.

“Quite a bit,” Alex confirmed. “He needed to be taken down a couple of notches. I may have also threatened to run against him next cycle if he didn’t get his act together. I reminded him that I have experience with this squad as well and the way that I worked with you, Fin, Elliott, and Cragen wasn’t near as good or cohesive as the way you, Rollins, Fin, and Carisi worked with Rafael. I also reminded him that he left filling the bureau chief position to me and when he found out I had offered it to Rafael, he told me he was looking forward to having him back in the office.”

“Thank you,” Rafael told her.

“Can I do anything to help?”

Rafael looked over at Olivia, raising an eyebrow at her in question. When she simply shrugged, he turned back to Alex. “I guess another set of eyes wouldn’t hurt.”

* * *

Two days later, as she prepared to leave to meet Rafael and Carisi at the courthouse for Tobias Moore’s trial, Olivia stopped at Amanda’s desk. “Ready to go?”

“Go where?” Amanda wondered.

“To the trial. Fin and Kat can hold down the fort here. Carisi will appreciate the additional support.”

“Go,” Fin said from his desk. “Give Barba and Carisi our best.”

“Chief Garland is aware that Amanda and I will be in court, so if there’s anything you can’t handle, you can call him. I’ll check in when I can,” Olivia said to him as Amanda put on her coat.

“You got it, cap’n.”

Olivia rolled her eyes good-naturedly, but smiled to herself as she and Amanda walked to the elevators.

* * *

Standing outside the courthouse, Carisi shifted back and forth in an effort to keep himself warm.

“Why do court days always have to be the _coldest_?” he asked irritably.

“Good question,” Rafael replied with a laugh as he checked his watch. “Liv should be here soon.”

“We couldn’t wait _inside_?”

“I promised to meet her out here.”

“Sorry we’re late,” Olivia said as she and Amanda approached a few minutes later. “There’s press _everywhere_.”

“I also forgot my gloves, so I had to go back upstairs and get them before we could leave,” Amanda admitted.

“I wasn’t sure you’d be here,” Carisi said to her.

“Wouldn’t miss it. I wanted to see you two kick butt in person.”

“Ready?” Rafael asked, looking between his three companions.

“As I’ll ever be,” Carisi replied.

“Lead the way, counselors,” Olivia said as Amanda moved to stand on Carisi’s other side.

As she walked up the courthouse steps with Olivia, Rafael, and Carisi, Amanda sent up a silent prayer for the trial to go well.

* * *

Walking into the courtroom, Rafael bit back a smile as he saw the horrified look on Barth’s face when both he and Sonny approached the prosecution’s table. Apparently she hadn’t read the memo apprising her of the change in counsel for the prosecution. He was fairly certain he saw Moore become paler as well.

* * *

Looking out into the gallery as he stood to begin his line of questioning for the first witness, Rafael caught Olivia’s eye, giving her a brief nod, just like he had always done years before. Having her support meant a lot. He saw Carisi catch Amanda’s eye as well and they shared a brief smile as Olivia nodded back at him. 

* * *

“We, the jury, find the defendant, Sir Tobias Moore, _guilty_.”

* * *

Upon hearing the verdict he had been hoping for, Carisi let out a breath and turned to Rafael. “Thank you,” he said.

“You’re welcome…but you should be proud of yourself, Carisi. I only fine-tuned what you already had.”

“Still. I appreciate the help.”

“Anytime. I’ll look over the Davies case this weekend and we’ll talk about it on Monday.”

Carisi nodded, following the older man out into the gallery where Olivia and Amanda were waiting for them.

“Ready to go home?” Olivia asked.

“Definitely,” Rafael replied, moving his free hand to the small of her back to lead her out of the room.

“Are you coming over tonight?” Amanda asked as she and Carisi followed them. “The girls have been asking for you.”

“I need to stop home and change, go to the store, and then I’ll be over.”

“What store?”

“Grocery store. I know you don’t have any food that doesn’t require microwaving in your apartment right now.”

“You’re right,” Amanda admitted with a laugh.

* * *

Later that night, after dinner courtesy of another of _Nonna_ Carisi’s recipes, Amanda settled on the couch with her girls and Carisi. Billie was in his lap, playing with his fingers while Jesse sat between them, brushing the hair of one of her dolls and watching the cartoon playing on the TV.

“God, I’m so full,” Amanda mock-complained.

Carisi chuckled, turning his attention from Billie to Amanda. “I’ll pass the thanks onto my _Nonna_ ,” he said.

“What is it with you ADAs and your cooking skills? Liv said Rafael used to cook for her all the time and has done so more nights than not since he came back.”

Carisi chuckled again as he shrugged. “Must be some kind of secret prerequisite.”

“Thanks for coming over…and for cooking. I know it’s been a long week for you.”

“I like being here with the three of you.”

“We like having you here.”

* * *

While Carisi put the girls to bed, Amanda sat on her couch with a glass of wine in her hand. She’d poured another one for Carisi and left it on the coffee table. She had been contemplating Olivia’s words all week-about being in love with, being in a relationship with your best friend, and about how Noah and Rafael had just immediately clicked, much like Carisi had with both Jesse and Billie. The nurse at the hospital had even thought he was Billie’s dad. She could see many more nights like this one-the four of them together, Carisi cooking, and then relaxing together after dinner. She could see both of her girls claiming Carisi as their father much as Noah had done with Rafael, too. She knew Carisi loved both of them as if they were his own. She knew he would take care of all of them.

“Everything okay?” Carisi asked as he took a seat on the couch next to her, interrupting her thoughts.

“Just thinking,” Amanda replied with a small smile.

“About what?”

Amanda considered her answer for a minute before she ended up blurting out, “You.”

Carisi blinked at her a couple of times before he found his voice. “Me?”

Nodding, Amanda set her glass on the coffee table and then leaned over to brush her lips with his. When he didn’t respond, she sat back, thinking she’d made a horrible mistake.

“Sonny, I-” she began, unsure what to say.

“I can’t do this,” Carisi said, standing and beginning to walk towards the door.

Standing, Amanda rushed after him, grabbing his wrist in both of her hands. “Wait, please.”

“I can’t do casual with you, Manda,” he said quietly a few moments later.

“I don’t want casual.”

Carisi lifted his head to look at her, studying her face to make sure she was being serious. “You mean that?”

Amanda nodded, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to form in her eyes. “I just want _you_ ,” she said softly, releasing his wrist.

Unable to find words of his own, Carisi simply framed her face with his hands and bent his head and captured her lips with his.

“ _Ti amo_ ,” Amanda whispered when they broke apart, suddenly remembering the phrase that Olivia had taught her earlier in the week.

“ _Ti amo anch’io_ ,” Carisi replied before kissing her again.

* * *

Seeing his fiancée sitting on the couch in their living room, Rafael took a breath before he approached her. He had to tell her some bad news and he wasn’t sure how she was going to react. He had gotten a call from Paige that morning. Apparently there was a mix-up and it wasn’t their offer on the condo that had been accepted, but another family’s. That meant they were back to square one as there was nothing else available in that building and they hadn’t been able to agree on anything else.

“What’s wrong?” Olivia immediately asked when he joined her.

“I got a call from Paige this morning…” Rafael started.

“We didn’t get the condo, did we?”

Rafael shook his head. “ _Lo siento, mi vida_. We didn’t. There was some kind of big mix-up and the owners ended up accepting a different, actually higher, offer.”

“Maybe it’s for the best,” Olivia replied with a shrug.

“What aren’t you telling me?”

Olivia smiled, leaning over to give him a quick kiss before grabbing her laptop off of the coffee table and turning it towards him. “A house, Rafa. Three bedrooms and a den. It’s close to Noah’s school and to Lucy. I finally heard back from the realtor this morning, she said we could meet her tomorrow morning for a tour. I told her we’d meet her at ten unless something came up.”

Rafael scrolled through the pictures as she spoke. He had to admit he was impressed. While it had a bit less space than the condo they’d looked at, it seemed cozier. The den would work perfectly for a home office. The master bedroom had a walk-in closet as well as its own bathroom. There was a slightly smaller bedroom down the hall that also had its own bathroom. The third bedroom and den were on the main floor, along with a spacious kitchen and living room and another bathroom. It also had a small fenced-in yard that he could already see Noah running around in. He was pretty sure it could fit a small swingset as well.

“Do you want to bring Noah or should I call my mom and ask her to babysit?” he asked a few minutes later.

Olivia grinned at him. “Let’s bring him. It needs to be approved by all three Barbas.”

“All _three_ Barbas?” Rafael repeated, causing Olivia to laugh and lean over to kiss him again.

“Yes, my wonderful husband-to-be, all _three_ Barbas. You, me, and our son.”

Tugging lightly on Olivia’s hands, he pulled her into his lap. “ _Te amo mucho, mi alma_ ,” he said before threading his fingers into her hair and closing the gap between them.

* * *

The next morning, after a chocolate chip pancake breakfast, Olivia, Rafael, and Noah met the realtor at the house that Olivia had seen online.

“Olivia?” a woman asked as she approached.

“Yes,” she said, turning to the owner of the voice.

“I’m Rachel Grant, we spoke on the phone yesterday,” she said, holding out her hand.

Olivia shook the older woman’s hand with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you. This is my fiancé, Rafael, and our son, Noah.”

Rachel shook hands with both Rafael and Noah before opening the door to the house. “Ready?” she asked with a smile.

“Yes,” Olivia and Rafael said together, earning a giggle from Noah and another smile from Rachel.

* * *

Walking through the house, Olivia found it easy to picture her family here, easier than it had been at the condo. She had liked the condo well enough, but she loved the house. She’d always wanted to own a house, had even considered looking into a smaller one for Noah and herself before Rafael had returned, but ultimately decided to wait a little longer.

“What do you think?” she asked, finding Rafael and Noah in the den.

“I like it!” Noah declared.

“Rafa?”

Shaking his head, Rafael smiled at her. “Sorry, lost in my thoughts.”

“Would this work for an office for you?”

“Yeah. It’d be great. The room down the hall would be a perfect guest room, too.”

“I agree. So, should we put an offer in?”

“Yes. Let’s go find Rachel.”

* * *

Sitting in the living room reviewing notes for an upcoming trial of Carisi’s, Rafael was slightly annoyed to hear a knock at the door. Knowing he needed to work, Olivia had taken Noah to the park for a play date with a friend of his from school. Sighing, he closed the file and set it on top of the nearby legal pad before walking to the door and looking through the peephole to see who had interrupted him.

“Mami?” he asked as he opened the door.

“ _Hola, mijo_ ,” she greeted somewhat solemnly.

Stepping aside to let his mother into the apartment, Rafael was immediately concerned. “Are you okay?”

“I think we need to talk, Rafi.”

“Talk about _what_ exactly?”

Lucia took a seat on the couch, motioning for Rafael to sit beside her.

“Mami, what’s going on? _Me estás asustando_.”

“Olivia said something the other day that got me thinking,” Lucia began.

“When you dropped Noah off?”

“Yes. Noah was talking about his most recent Spanish quiz and Olivia was telling him how _proud_ you were going to be of him for doing so well.”

“I don’t understand.”

Lucia reached for Rafael’s hands and held them in hers as she spoke. “Rafi, I hope you know how incredibly proud _I_ am of _you_.”

“I know, Mami,” Rafael tried to assure her, not really wanting to have this particular conversation.

“I don’t think you do, _mijo_. I was wrong about Alejandro. _He_ should have stuck close to _you_. _You_ are the one who got the full scholarship to Harvard and graduated with a near perfect GPA. _You_ are the one who went on to become the best prosecutor in the city, the one who would take on cases no one else would touch. You work so hard to help others, Rafi. Your _Abuelita_ was so proud every time someone mentioned you or your work. _Ese es mi nieto_ , she would say.”

“She wanted me to be a judge…”

“Because she thought that’s what _you_ wanted. That was your career goal at one point.”

“It’s not going to happen anymore.”

“Would you really want it to, even if it could?” Lucia wondered.

Rafael thought for a moment before he shook his head. “No,” he decided. “The election fraud was an interesting path, but I always felt like I was doing more good as a prosecutor. Liv and her team are amazing, even when they all drive me a little crazy. They helped me do everything I could to, as Noah likes to say, put the bad guys in jail.”

Lucia smiled at the mention of her grandson and his still simplistic view of the work his parents did together. “And now?”

“And now I’m helping junior ADAs. My boss even asked me if I would still be willing to prosecute cases myself sometimes. I feel like I’m doing more to help people now than if I were to be a judge…and I enjoy what I do. I’ve only been back at the job for two weeks, but we already got one predator off the streets.”

“I heard,” Lucia said with a smile, squeezing her son’s hands. “There’s one wish for you that your _Abuelita_ never shared with you. She wanted to tell you, especially when you started talking about Olivia more and more, but never got the chance.”

“How do you know that?”

Releasing Rafael’s hands, Lucia picked up her purse, pulling out an envelope and handing it to him.

“That’s _Abuelita’s_ handwriting,” he said, immediately recognizing the familiar penmanship.

“I was going through some things the other day and I found this. She insisted in writing it in English, said she needed to _práctia_. I didn’t remember helping her with it until I read it,” Lucia explained.

Rafael nodded, carefully opening the envelope and opening the neatly folded letter it had contained.

_My darling Rafi,_

_I hope I am able to give this letter to you myself, but if I am not able to, I have instructed your Mami to give it to you._

_I understand that you have high career expectations, but I hope you will not forget to let yourself live. Even if you never become a judge, I will always love you and be so proud of you. My grandson got into Harvard and went on to become one of the best lawyers in New York. When I was a little girl in Cuba, I never could have imagined such a thing._

_My wish for you is that you find someone to share your life with, as your **Abuelo** and I did. His time with us was cut short, but I have faith that you will be a great father someday, just like he was. When you find the love of your life, I want you to give her my ring when you ask her to marry you. I wish for you to cherish and love her and any children you have together, and allow your Mami and me to do the same to them. _

_I love you and I am so proud of you. Know that I am always with you in your heart._

_Love always,_

**_Abuelita_ **

“Rafi?” Lucia asked once Rafael had finished reading the letter. She had seen him wipe away tears as he read it.

“I had no idea,” he said softly.

Lucia reached over to hug him. “I know, _mijo_. But you did exactly what she wanted-you gave Olivia her ring and I’ve seen firsthand how much you adore Noah. How much you love and cherish both of them. I’m so grateful that you let me be a part of that, too.”

“Olivia and Noah both liked you from the moment they met you.”

Lucia smiled as she leaned back. “I liked them immediately, too. I’m sure your _Abuelita_ would have, too. She told me she had a feeling about you and Olivia.”

“Was I that obvious?”

“Only to us, _mijo_ ,” Lucia assured him, though she knew that probably wasn’t completely true. It had been fairly obvious that the two had grown closer over their years working together, but she wasn’t sure anyone other than her and her mother could have predicted the ultimate outcome of that friendship. “Oh, I have one more thing for you.”

“Is it going to make me cry again?” Rafael asked with a laugh.

“Probably,” Lucia responded with a soft smile, taking another envelope out of her purse and handing it to her son.

Opening it, Rafael saw pictures of his grandmother, of the two of them together, some with Lucia, and even some with his grandfather.

“Noah was asking about his _bisabuelos_ the other day. That’s how I ended up finding the letter. I was looking for pictures and came across it in the process.”

“He’ll love them, I’m sure,” Rafael said with a smile, putting the pictures back in the envelope and setting them on the coffee table next to the one containing the letter. “Thank you, Mami.”

“I’ll let you get back to work; I’m supposed to meet some friends for coffee in about a half an hour. Give Noah and Olivia my love,” Lucia said as she stood.

Hearing the door open, Rafael smiled as he stood. “I think you can do that yourself.”

“ _Abuelita!_ ” Noah exclaimed upon seeing his grandmother, immediately running over to her and hugging her.

“Noah! You need to put your things away before you go running away!” Olivia lightly chastised.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“Go do as your mom asked, _mijo_ ,” Rafael said, ruffling the little boy’s hair.

“Yes, Dad.”

“Hi, Lucia,” Olivia greeted, giving the older woman a hug of her own. “Are you staying long?”

“Just about to leave, actually,” Lucia answered. “I just stopped by to have a quick chat with Rafi and give him a couple of things that I found the other day.”

“Will you be back tomorrow?” Noah asked, returning to the living room.

“I will. Maybe I could come a bit early and we could make the _pastelitos_ together? I hear you’re quite the sous chef.”

Noah looked between his parents for the answer to his grandmother’s question.

“You’re in high demand, _mijo_ ,” Rafael joked.

“Is about nine o’clock okay?” Lucia asked.

“Perfect,” Olivia said with a smile

* * *

Later that night, after Noah had gone to sleep, Olivia walked back out to the living room to join Rafael on the couch. He was working, but he had already put a glass of her favorite wine next to his glass of scotch so she knew he wanted her company. One of the many things that hadn’t changed between them was their craving for the other’s company, even if they weren’t working on something together or having one of their nighttime chats.

“How many stories?” Rafael asked, looking up from the file open in front of him.

“He was out half-way through the first one,” Olivia answered as she took a seat next to him on the couch and reached for her wine.

“What did you do, buy an energy drainer when you were out today?”

Olivia laughed as she shook her head. “Nope. Although that would be nice to have some days. He burned a lot of energy at the park this morning I guess.”

Rafael nodded, taking a sip of his scotch and setting the glass down before asking his next question. “Did you know my mother was going to stop by today?”

“No. Is everything okay?”

“Noah was asking about my grandparents and she found some pictures…and a letter to me from my _Abuelita_. Oh, and apparently both she and my mother knew we would end up together years ago.”

“Smart women,” Olivia commented, smiling as she took a sip of her wine.

“I’m sorry for being so dense,” Rafael said with a quirk of his lips.

Olivia set her wine glass back on the table as she tried to hide her smile. “Happens to the best of us.”

“Mm. Well, it all worked out in the end, I suppose.”

“You _suppose_?” Olivia asked, leaning closer.

“ _Sí, mi vida, supongo_ ,” Rafael returned before pulling her closer for a kiss.

* * *

A couple of days later, as Rafael and Olivia walked into their apartment, they were immediately greeted by their son.

“Mom! Dad!” he exclaimed, wrapping an arm around each of their waists to hug them.

After setting his briefcase down, Rafael lifted his son into his arms. “Did you have a good day, _mijo_?”

“Ms. Kingston was impressed I knew what a sous chef was,” Noah told him.

“How was your Spanish spelling test?” Olivia asked, running a hand over his hair as she spoke.

“I don’t find out until tomorrow.”

“How do you _think_ it went?” Rafael asked.

Noah shrugged. “Ms. Sanchez was surprised when I said _puedo ir al baño_. _Abuelita_ taught it to me on the way to school on Monday. She sent me home with a note for you and Mom. I didn’t think it was a bad thing to say…”

“It’s not, _mijo_ ,” Rafael assured him, setting him on his feet while Olivia went to talk to Lucy. “Where is this note?”

“In my backpack.”

“I want to read it before we start supper. You get it out and wait for me and your Mami on the couch while we change, okay?”

Noah nodded, walking back into the living room to dig the note out of his bag and taking a seat on the couch as Rafael walked towards the bedroom.

* * *

“All right, _mijo_ , let’s see this note,” Rafael said as he and Olivia took a seat on either side of their son.

Noah handed the note to his father, watching him read it for a moment. “Am I in trouble?” he asked.

Pulling Noah onto his lap, Rafael pressed a kiss to the top of his head. “No. Your teacher wants to meet with your Mom and me,” he said, passing the letter to Olivia.

“It even specifically says you’re not in trouble,” she assured him after she had read it.

“So we can still have spaghetti night?”

“Of course.”

* * *

The following afternoon, Rafael met Olivia outside of Noah’s school to meet with his Spanish teacher.

“Hi,” she greeted with a soft kiss.

“Hi,” Rafael replied, pulling her closer for a quick hug. “Ready for our meeting?”

“I’m kind of intrigued. The note was pretty vague.”

Rafael nodded in agreement, moving his hand to the small of her back to lead her into the school. After signing at the front desk, they walked down the hall to Ms. Sanchez’s classroom, knocking on the open door to get her attention.

“Ms. Benson, Mr. Barba, thank you for taking the time to meet with me,” she greeted as she stood and closed the door behind them, gesturing to a nearby table and chairs. Turning to Rafael, she spoke again. “I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Valentina Sanchez, Noah’s Spanish teacher.”

“Rafael Barba,” Rafael returned, shaking her hand before taking a seat next to Olivia.

Valentina grabbed a sheet of paper off of the side of her desk before taking a seat across from them. “First of all, I want to reiterate that Noah is _not_ in any kind of trouble. He’s a delight, actually. Very smart.”

“He is,” Olivia agreed, nudging Rafael’s shoulder with her own as she spoke.

“This is Noah’s spelling test from yesterday,” Valentina continued, turning the paper towards the couple. “These last four words we haven’t learned yet…but he spelled all of them correctly, accents and all. He also asked in Spanish for permission to go to the bathroom.”

“Ah, my mother taught him that earlier in the week apparently,” Rafael confessed.

“Noah has always seemed to catch on quickly, which has lead me to believe that the language is being spoken outside of school, but my interest was piqued after the combination of the test and his question.”

“Rafael started teaching him basic words here and there a few years ago,” Olivia began.

“I’ve been speaking both English and Spanish since I can remember,” Rafael added. “He started asking me how to say certain words in Spanish and I told him. I, uh, recently moved in with Olivia and Noah…and my mother has been around him as well.”

“Would you rather we didn’t speak Spanish with him at home, outside of his schoolwork?”

Valentina shook her head as she smiled. “Quite the opposite, in fact. I would like to challenge Noah a little more, give him some extra work, if that’s okay with the two of you and you think he would be up for it.”

Rafael exchanged a look with Olivia before turning back to their son’s teacher. “He’s told us both on multiple occasions that he wants to learn the language, so it’s fine with us. What did you have in mind?”

“Some extra words; possibly some reading assignments.”

“We already have some Spanish children’s books at home,” Olivia told her. “He asked Rafael’s mother for them.”

“Would your mother happen to be a teacher?” Valentina asked Rafael.

“She’s the principal at St. Theresa’s,” he answered. “Fills in for teachers when necessary. So, sort of, I guess. Why do you ask?”

“I recognized your name immediately-you were the ADA for Manhattan SVU. But the name was familiar to me for another reason that I couldn’t place. Then I remembered this teacher I had at St. Theresa’s named Barba and I knew she had a son but I couldn’t remember his name.”

“You attended St. Theresa’s?”

“Many years ago,” Valentina said with a laugh. “She always had all kinds of Spanish reading material in her classroom. When you said Noah asked her for Spanish children’s books, it all fell into place.”

Rafael nodded, glancing down at the spelling test again, his eyes landing on the top corner where Noah had written his name. Noticing that Rafael had seen the other thing she wanted to talk to him and Olivia about, Valentina pointed to the printing as she spoke.

“This is the other thing I wanted to talk to you about,” she said, gaining Olivia’s attention.

Looking down at the paper, Olivia saw that Noah had written his name as _Noah Barba_ instead of _Noah Benson_. “We haven’t officially changed his name yet,” she explained. “Rafael and I are getting married and he’s signed the papers to adopt Noah. I will be changing my name as well. I guess he’s just a little more excited about becoming a Barba than we thought.”

“I understand. Sanchez isn’t the name I was born with. My biological father left before I was born, so my mother gave me her name. She met my father a few years later and I’ve been a Sanchez ever since. I was just a couple of years younger than Noah when they married and changed my name.”

“Did you always refer to him as your father?” Olivia asked, immediately beginning to backtrack when she realized what she had said. “Sorry if that’s too personal.”

“It’s okay,” Valentina assured her with a smile. “His name is Leonardo, but I didn’t call him _Papi_ until I was about four. He was just Leo until then. As far as I’m concerned, he’s my father. He raised me, he’s been there for me practically my entire life. I’ve never met my biological father and I don’t care to. I remember proudly telling everyone I could that he was my father and my name was now Sanchez.”

“We’ll talk to Noah.”

Valentina nodded, turning to Rafael once more. “He talks about you a lot, you know. I’m pretty sure you’re his hero.”

“I’m no hero…” Rafael began, cut off by both Olivia and Valentina shaking their heads at him.

“You are a hero to your son,” Valentina continued. “ _You_ are the reason he’s been putting so much effort into class these past couple of weeks. I understand you are also the reason he’s in this class to begin with. Teach him about your family. Teach him the language. Trust me; he’ll never forget it and it’ll mean the world to him to have those memories.”

“You taught him to say _te amo_.”

“I did. I thought he wanted to say it to Olivia…”

“We know,” Olivia said, placing a hand on Rafael’s arm and giving him a soft smile. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Valentina said as she stood. “Thank you again for taking the time to meet with me. Noah should be finished with his last class soon so I will let you go. I gave him some extra work to do this weekend, but he also knows I wanted to ask your permission first. He assured me you’d say yes and convinced me to give it to him.”

“Sounds like him,” Rafael commented as he and Olivia stood. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he turned to his fiancée. “Do you need to go back to work?”

“No. I brought some paperwork home, but I can do that while you read to Noah tonight. Fin can handle things.”

“Then let’s go collect _nuestro hijo_ and go home.”

Olivia smiled and nodded, reaching for Rafael’s hand and lacing their fingers together.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, a big thank you to those who have left kudos and comments. The comments feed the muse. I have another story in the works, which I hope to publish soon, but I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write so I wanted to post the newest chapter to this story while I had the time. 
> 
> More familiar faces in this chapter. Hope you all enjoy :)

* * *

The afternoon after making an offer on what he hoped would be his family’s future home, Rafael walked into the apartment with Olivia and Noah not far behind. He knew the moment he walked in that, true to her word, his mother was already here…and cooking up a storm from the smell of things.

“Did you buy out the grocery store, _Mami_?” Rafael teased as he walked into the kitchen and leaned down to press a kiss to her cheek.

“Just about,” Lucia replied with a laugh.

“Can I help?” Noah asked, joining his father and grandmother a few seconds later.

“ _Por supuesto_ , _nieto_.”

“Apron,” Rafael said to his son as he grabbed a chair from the dining room and set it next to his mother at the stove.

“¡ _Delantal_!” Noah exclaimed with a grin, climbing onto the chair and peering at the dishes.

Chuckling to himself, Rafael went in search of Olivia, satisfied that his son was in good hands.

* * *

“Told you he was a smart boy,” Olivia said to her fiancé as she saw him take a seat next to her on the couch.

“I knew that a long time ago,” Rafael replied, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she curled into his side.

“Did you really like the house?”

“Yeah, I did. More than the condo.”

“Me, too. Paige knows we’re not mad at her, right?”

“She does. I sent her a text letting her know about the house and she said she’d keep her fingers crossed for us.”

Olivia smiled and nodded, tilting her head up for a quick kiss before she spoke again. “When your mom offered to make lunch, I had no idea it was going to be this involved.”

“Please. _Mami_ loves to cook for other people. She also loves being a grandmother and I’m pretty sure she and Noah are already best friends.”

“Think she’ll surpass Lucy as his favorite babysitter?”

“Oh, I’m sure.”

“Do you think your mom would mind if I invited her over? She’s been having a rough few weeks and I think a home-cooked meal would be just the thing.”

“I doubt it, but I’ll go ask.”

* * *

“Food isn’t ready yet, Rafi,” Lucia said as she saw her son enter the kitchen.

“I know. Liv has a request…we both do kind of, actually.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah. We put you down as an emergency contact at Noah’s school and added you to the list we give to Noah’s nanny. Liv said she’s had a rough couple of weeks, new semester doesn’t seem to be going very smoothly, and thought a home-cooked meal would be just the thing to cheer her up. We’d also like for you to meet her.”

“Lucy is coming over?” Noah asked when he heard his father’s words.

“If that’s okay with _Abuelita_.”

“Of course it’s okay,” Lucia answered with a smile. “Noah has been telling me about her and it will be nice to be able to put a face with the name.”

“ _Gracias, Mami_.”

* * *

A short while later, when there was a knock at the door signaling Lucy’s arrival, Rafael stood to answer it.

“Hi, Lucy,” he greeted, reaching to take the schoolbag she had slung over her shoulder.

“Hi, Rafael,” Lucy replied, sending him a grateful smile as followed him inside. “Thank you for the invite. Liv mentioned your mother is cooking lunch?”

“Yes. It was supposed to be brunch, but we had a last-minute appointment to see a house, so it turned into lunch.”

“A house?”

Rafael nodded. “Not far from you, according to Liv. We put an offer in this morning.”

“I’ll keep my fingers crossed.”

“I’m glad you were able to make it,” Olivia said as she joined them, moving to hug the younger girl she thought of as a friend.

“It was a nice excuse to get out of the apartment for a while,” Lucy returned.

“Everything okay?”

“Roommate drama. We only have a few more months until the semester is over and then we won’t be living together anymore; that’s the good part.”

“There’s a bad part?” Rafael asked.

“I haven’t found a different place to live yet. I could go home for the summer, but I’d rather stay here in the city…and if I went home, I wouldn’t be able to watch Noah as much.”

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Olivia told her with a smile. “We want you to meet Rafael’s mom, and you’re welcome to hang out here for a while afterwards if you’d like.”

* * *

“Whatever that is, it smells delicious,” Lucy said as she followed Olivia and Rafael into the kitchen, eliciting a laugh from the woman at the stove.

“Lucy!” Noah exclaimed, quickly jumping off of the chair and running over to his nanny.

“Hi, buddy,” Lucy replied, bending to give him a hug. “You just made my day so much better.”

“Really?”

Lucy nodded, ruffling his hair before she stood and looked over at the woman she now knew was Rafael’s mother.

“Lucy, this is my mother, Lucia Barba. _Mami_ , this is Noah’s nanny, and family friend, Lucy Huston,” Rafael said, introducing the women.

“It’s nice to finally meet you, dear,” Lucia told her with a smile. “I’ve heard a lot about you from _mi nieto_ here.”

Lucy returned her smile. “I’ve been hearing a lot about _Abuelita_ as well. My Spanish may be limited, but I know that word.”

* * *

As she sat at her dining room table listening to her family talk and laugh as they ate _ropa vieja_ , Olivia smiled to herself. Lucy and Lucia had become fast friends, and Noah was reveling in the attention both women were paying to him. The boy thought it was fantastic that two of his favorite people had such similar names, too. Leaning her head on Rafael’s shoulder, she felt him press a kiss to the top of her head. He always knew what she was feeling, what she needed. It was one of the many things she loved about him.

* * *

After lunch and a dessert of _arroz con leche_ , Olivia was sure she’d never been fuller in her life but she didn’t care. She and Rafael were curled together on the couch watching a movie while Lucia, Lucy, and Noah cleaned up. Rafael had offered to do it, but the two women had waved him off, enlisting Noah’s help and shooing him and Olivia to the living room. Feeling her eyelids become heavy, she snuggled closer to Rafael and closed her eyes. She was more relaxed than she had been in days, and the exhaustion she'd been feeling seemed to finally be catching up with her.

* * *

“They’re adorable,” Lucy commented, nodding her head towards Olivia and Rafael.

Lucia smiled, about to answer when she felt a tug on her hand. Looking down, she saw Noah looking up at her.

“I want to go sit with my mom and dad,” he told her.

“Go ahead, _nieto_ ,” she replied, pressing a kiss to the top of his head. “Thank you for all of your help.”

Noah smiled at the praise before running off to join his parents on the couch, quickly climbing into his father’s lap and resting his head on his chest.

“God, I think I’m just going to die of the cuteness overload,” Lucy said a few moments later.

“They belong together, all three of them,” Lucia told her, scooping the leftover _ropa vieja_ and _arroz con leche_ into containers.

Lucy nodded in agreement as she wiped down the table and counters.

* * *

After seeing Lucy, who had decided to go to the library to study for a while, out and making sure everything was put away, Lucia quickly wrote her son a note and then quietly made her way towards the door. Pausing, she couldn’t help but smile as she observed the scene before her. Rafael was stretched out on the end of the L-shaped couch, his head on a nearby throw pillow, fast asleep. One arm was around Olivia, who was curled into his side, and the other was around their son, who was curled in his lap. Both had their heads resting on his chest and were also fast asleep. She knew it had been a long week for them and she was glad she was able to do something for them. Seeing her son so happy made her heart burst with joy.

* * *

A few days later, after another guilty verdict in the form of the Davies case that he had assisted Carisi on, Rafael was working on a case of his own when he heard his cell phone ring and saw Lucy’s name appear on the screen.

“Hey, Lucy,” he greeted.

“Hi. I’m sorry to bother you.”

“Is everything okay?”

“…I tried to call Olivia, but she didn’t answer,” Lucy continued, not hearing Rafael’s question.

“Lucy,” Rafael said, getting the girl’s attention.

“Sorry. One of my professors assigned a last minute paper, due Friday at midnight, on the pros and cons of homeschooling and I’m just thinking about all of the research I need to do…”

Glancing at the clock, Rafael knew his son would be getting done with school soon. As it was Wednesday, Lucy had gone straight from campus to Noah’s school. “Can you bring Noah to me?”

“Yes. Noah will probably want a snack, though. Do you want me to stop and get him something?”

“I have snacks,” Rafael assured her, eliciting a laugh from Lucy. Olivia often made fun of him for his penchant for snacking, although she did buy him a bag of chocolate covered almonds when he’d returned from his suspension a few years back.

“Noah-type snacks?”

“Noah-type snacks.”

“Okay. I’ll text Liv, let her know I’m bring Noah to you. Thank you. Do you want me to tell him where I’m taking him or have it be a surprise?”

“If he’s in a good mood, let’s surprise him,” Rafael decided, hanging up and going back to the case in front of him while he waited for his son.

* * *

Rafael heard his son before he saw him. Standing and walking in front of his desk, he had just reached the doorway when he felt a small body collide with his legs and small arms wrap themselves around his waist.

“Oof,” he said with a laugh, ruffling his son’s hair as Lucy walked in with his backpack in her hands.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “He got away from me and made a beeline for your office the moment we were inside.”

“It’s okay,” Rafael told her, reaching for the backpack as he kept an arm around Noah, who had moved to his side. “Thanks for bringing him.”

“No problem,” Lucy assured him with a smile. “I’m off to get some coffee and food, and then go to the library. I was able to get the last private room for the night.”

Reaching into his pocket for his wallet, Rafael took out a few bills and handed them to Lucy. “For your coffee and food,” he told her.

“Rafael, you don’t need to do that.”

“I want to. It may have been a while since I was in college, but I remember the last-minute assignments all too well. You’ve been invaluable to Liv, and to Noah, over the last few years.”

Nodding, Lucy put the money in her pocket before she turned to Noah. “Be good for your dad, buddy. I’ll see you Monday afternoon.”

“Actually…” Rafael said, gaining her attention again. “If you aren’t too burnt out by Saturday night, maybe you could come over and watch him that night? Liv and I were invited out with the rest of the squad.”

“I don’t have anything going on, so I’ll plan on being there,” Lucy told him, sharing a fist bump with Noah, one of the little boy’s new favorite things, before walking away.

* * *

Leading Noah over to the couch, Rafael was helping him with his coat when he heard footsteps behind him. Assuming it was jut Carisi, he ignored them and focused on his son.

“All right, _mijo_ , why don’t you start with your reading,” he suggested. “I need to finish some work, okay?”

Noah nodded, digging into his backpack and taking out his book before climbing into the couch and opening it to begin reading. Standing, Rafael turned and nearly groaned when he saw McCoy standing there.

“Jack,” he said politely, aware of the little ears nearby.

“I just wanted to check in and see how the Nichols case was going,” Jack replied. “I didn’t know you had a son.”

“I can take him home if you’d rather he not be here.”

“No, no, it’s fine. I just…” the older man began, trailing off at Rafael’s narrowed look. “I just thought I’d make sure you were settling in okay.”

“I could use an assistant that lasts more than two days,” Rafael answered irritably, confident Noah was engrossed in his reading.

“Alex mentioned that. I made some calls,” McCoy said.

Leaning against the front of his desk, Rafael eyed the other man warily, just wanting him to get out of his office.

“Consider this the second part of my apology,” the older man told him before tipping his head toward Noah. “Cute kid.”

“I think I’ll keep him.”

McCoy nodded, smiling to himself as he exited the room. Rafael heard him talking to someone outside of the office, but he was too focused on Noah to pay attention. “You okay over there, _mijo_?” he asked.

“I’m hungry and I’m thirsty,” he replied.

“I can take care of that,” a new voice said from the doorway. Looking up, Rafael saw his old assistant standing there.

“Carmen,” he said with a smile.

“Welcome back,” she said, returning his smile, watching with interest as the little boy walked over and tugged on Rafael’s hand.

Crouching, Rafael put an arm around Noah’s waist as he addressed him. “ _Mijo_ , do you remember my assistant, Carmen?”

“Sort of,” he answered, looking nervously between the two adults.

Following Rafael’s lead, Carmen crouched in front of the boy and held out her hand, which Noah shook after an encouraging nod from his father.

“You’ve gotten a lot taller since the last time I saw you,” she said with a smile. “How old are you now? Six?”

Noah giggled as he shook his head. “I’m seven. I’ll be eight in July.”

“Wow. I have a nephew who is your age.”

“You do?”

Carmen nodded. “His name is Julio. His mom is my sister. They live in Brooklyn.”

“That’s where my _Abuelita_ lives.”

“Mine, too.”

“You have an _abuelita_?”

“ _Sí. Su nombre es Sofia_ ,” Carmen answered.

“ _Mi abuelita es Lucia_ ,” Noah told her, looking to his father for confirmation he’d said that right.

“That’s right,” Rafael told him with a smile. “Are you okay to go with Carmen to get some snacks and something to drink? I have some snacks here, but I know there are some good ones in the vending machine, too.”

Noah nodded, taking the hand that Carmen had outstretched as she and Rafael stood.

* * *

A few minutes later, Noah and Carmen returned with snacks, including hot chocolate and orange juice.

“He’s as bad as you,” Carmen said with a laugh.

“He _is_ my son,” Rafael replied, watching Noah decide which snack to eat first. “Just don’t tell his mom that I let him have sugar this late in the day or she might decide she doesn’t want to marry me after all.”

Carmen shot him a surprised look, causing him to laugh. “I proposed a few days after I got back to town. We’ve wasted enough time.”

“I’m glad you’re back, Rafael. When Alex told me you accepted the job, I asked her to make some arrangements so I could come back, too. There are only so many people who can put up with your crankiness.”

Rafael laughed again. “No use in messing with a winning formula.”

Walking over to his desk, Carmen held out her hand. “Planner,” she said simply.

Rafael handed it over willingly before picking up the case file he’d been reading through earlier. “ _Muchas Gracias_.”

* * *

Sitting in her office, elbows deep in paperwork, Olivia’s head shot up when she heard a loud curse from Amanda. Standing, she quickly walked out into the squadroom to see the detective putting on her coat.

“Fucking idiot. Stupid, stupid man,” she was muttering under her breath.

“Amanda?” Olivia asked.

“Sonny fell on some ice and hit his head. He has a mild concussion. He needs someone to drive him home.”

“Good thing he has such a hard head,” Fin joked.

“I’ll tell him you said that,” Amanda returned.

“I’ll text Rafael,” Olivia said, doing her best to hide her smile at Fin’s comment and Amanda’s subsequent retort.

Amanda nodded her thanks before taking her keys out of her pocket and rushing towards the elevators, still muttering under her breath.

* * *

_Carisi fell. Mild concussion._

Reading the text from his fiancée, Rafael frowned. While he was glad the younger man was okay, he was wondering what that meant for his own workload. Carisi had filed disclosure paperwork right away Monday morning, which he hadn’t been entirely surprised about. Olivia had indicated it was probably going to happen sooner rather than later. After answering questions from both Alex and McCoy, he’d assured them SVU cases would still be handled with the utmost professionalism. If either Olivia or Amanda were needed to testify in a case, Rafael and Carisi would have to be co-counsel or have Alex take over the case. Much like Olivia’s squad of detectives were an elite bunch, Rafael had insisted that there be one ADA assigned to SVU, specifically Sonny due to his experience as a detective in that unit, at least for the time being. They’d address it again later if the workload became too much.

“Dad?”

He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of his son’s voice. “What’s up, _mijo_?” he asked.

“I don’t know what this word is.”

“Show me.”

Making sure to keep his spot in his book, Noah walked over to his father and pointed to the word he was struggling with. “I tried sounding it out, but I still can’t get it.”

“What does your teacher usually do to help you?”

“She says the word and then I repeat it. But I don’t like it when she does that.”

“Why not?”

“I want to figure it out myself.”

Rafael nodded in understanding. He had felt the same way when he was Noah’s age, though he hadn’t really had much adult help at the time so he didn’t have much of a choice. Flipping to a blank page on his legal pad, Rafael wrote down the word and turned it towards Noah. “Do you recognize any smaller words in the big one?” he asked.

Noah studied the word for a moment before he nodded. “One.”

Handing him a pen, Rafael nodded his head towards the pad. “Write it down.”

After writing the word, range, Noah turned back to his father, who smiled and nodded at him. “Good. Let’s break down the rest of the word, okay?”

Noah nodded, intrigued as he watched Rafael re-write the rest of the letters of the original word in smaller groupings. “A…range….ment…” he said, frowning when the word still didn’t sound right to him.

“Close,” Rafael assured him, pointing to the first letter of the word. “How do you say this letter in your name?”

“Aahh,” Noah replied, still not sure where Rafael was going with this.

“Good. Now put it all together.”

“Ah…range…ment…arrangement,” he sounded out, repeating the word once more before looking up at Rafael. “Is that right?”

“Very good, _mijo_ ,” Rafael told him, pressing a kiss to his temple.

* * *

“You’re an idiot, you know that?!” Amanda ranted as she walked into Carisi’s hospital room, letting the door slam behind her with a bit more force than she’d intended. “It’s winter, Sonny! Watch where you’re going!”

Carisi winced at the loud volume in which she was speaking. “Manda, please,” he tried.

Closing her eyes and taking a deep breath, Amanda quickly walked the rest of the distance to his bedside and grabbed his hand. “You scared me,” she said softly.

“I know. I’m sorry,” Carisi told her, squeezing her hand. “The doctors said I’m fine, they will release me as long as I have made arrangements to not be alone for the next few days.”

“You can come home with me.”

“Can you have Fin stop at my place and grab some things?”

Amanda nodded, releasing his hand to take her phone out of her pocket. “Oh, he said it’s a good thing you have such a hard head,” she said, sending a quick text to their friend.

“Sounds like him,” Carisi admitted with a small laugh.

After getting confirmation from Fin, Amanda took Carisi’s hand again, lacing their fingers together. “You’re okay?”

“I have a monster of a headache, but I’m fine,” Carisi replied. “Does Barba know?”

“Liv said she’d text him.”

“You’re going to have to sign off saying I’m going home with you.”

Amanda nodded, tears threatening to fall at the thought of Carisi being seriously injured. When the nurse had called her and told her he had fallen, her mind immediately jumped to the worst-case-scenario.

“Manda,” Carisi said softly. “I’m _fine_. I’ll have a headache for a few days, and I made a follow-up appointment for next week, but they don’t want me to be alone in case I start to feel worse instead of better.”

“You’re my best friend, you know that?” she said quietly. “I love you, you stupid man. Lord knows why, but I do. I filed disclosure paperwork for you. I would have transferred for you.”

“What?”

“1PP didn’t ask me to, but I would have.”

“You _just_ got promoted.”

“I know, but Liv said she would have helped me if I needed to transfer. She, more than anyone, understands. You worked hard to get where you are, I wasn’t going to ask you to give that up.”

“I could still be an ADA.”

“But Barba wouldn’t have been your boss and you wouldn’t have been with SVU.”

“Barba is a great boss, and Lu was too if she ever asks, but you worked hard to get where you are, too.”

“Why do you call her that, anyway?”

Carisi chuckled as he shrugged. “It started as short for Lieutenant and then it just kind of stuck. Turns out it’s another nickname for Olivia, so it still works.”

Amanda nodded, sitting on the edge of the bed and continuing to talk with Carisi while they waited for the doctor.

* * *

“Is Carisi okay?” Rafael asked when Olivia returned home later that night.

“Yeah. He went home with Amanda, who has hopefully stopped cursing him by now.”

Rafael chuckled as he gave her a quick kiss and handed her a glass of wine.

“What happened to Uncle Sonny?” Noah asked, joining his parents in the entryway and overhearing their conversation.

Olivia toed off her shoes before handing her wine back to Rafael and kneeling in front of Noah. “He fell on some ice and hit his head pretty bad. The doctors took good care of him and Aunt Amanda is going to help make sure his headache goes away.”

“Maybe we could make extra spaghetti and bring it to him?”

Olivia shared a look with Rafael over their son’s head, smiling as she addressed him once again.

“It’s a little late for that, sweet boy. I’ll text Aunt Amanda and see if we can FaceTime with them after supper, okay?”

“Okay,” Noah agreed before turning to look up at Rafael. “Is the garlic bread done yet?”

“The timer hasn’t gone off yet, but soon I think,” he answered, handing the glass of wine to Olivia again when she stood.

* * *

“Looks like we won’t be going out tonight after all,” Amanda said, walking into her bedroom, where Carisi was getting dressed for the day. “At least, I won’t be. You can go if you want.”

“Babysitter flaked?” he guessed with a sigh.

“Of course. I don’t know why I even asked her. She constantly cancels last-minute.”

“We could go over to my parents’ for dinner instead…take the girls with us…”

Amanda could only stare at him in surprise. “I…um…I didn’t know you told your parents about us.”

“My mom cornered me at work the other day. Said I’d been avoiding her and she wanted to know why. Barba thought the whole thing was hilarious; said something about nosy, but well-meaning mothers.”

“I’m pretty sure _his_ mother would have gladly locked him and Liv in a room to get them to admit their feelings if she’d had the chance.”

“It’s just my parents, Manda. My mom said either tonight or tomorrow night is fine and she promises it’ll be just her and my dad.”

Amanda considered for a moment. “Is there a Carisi family recipe involved?”

“Romano, actually. My mom’s side. Toasted ravioli.”

“Do you think the girls would like that?”

“I think so, but I can ask my mom to make some spaghetti instead.”

“That might be a safer option. As long it’s your _Nonna_ ’s recipe.”

“As if there is any other,” Carisi said. “Is that a yes?”

“If you get both girls down for a nap this afternoon, then yes, we’ll go with you,” Amanda agreed.

Carisi grinned at her before bending and giving her a kiss. “Done.”

* * *

“Amanda and Carisi can’t make it,” Olivia said, looking up from her laptop to her fiancé, who was looking through a case file and jotting down notes on a nearby legal pad while their son played with Legos and watched a cartoon. “Babysitter cancelled last minute. Apparently he talked her into dinner with his parents, though.”

Rafael chuckled. “I had a feeling that was going to happen sooner rather than later.”

“Why is that?”

“You remember how my mom cornered me outside of the courthouse the first day you met her? Carisi’s mom did the same thing to him outside by office the other day.”

“Do you still want to go out tonight or would you rather stay in?”

Rafael considered her question. On the one hand, it would be nice to go out somewhere just him and Olivia, but also had no desire to change out of the sweatpants and t-shirt he was currently wearing and he really just wanted a quiet night in with his family.

“Hey, _mijo_ ,” he said, gaining Noah’s attention. “Would you be okay with Mom and me staying home with you tonight instead of Lucy coming over?”

Noah tilted his head to the side, a habit Olivia was sure he was picking up from Rafael. “Can we order pizza?”

“Sure.”

“Okay,” Noah agreed with a shrug before going back to his Legos.

Looking over at Olivia, Rafael flashed a smile at her. “Pizza,” he said simply.

Olivia smiled as she shook her head. “Pizza it is,” she said, walking over to the couch where he was sitting to give him a kiss. Truthfully, she didn’t want to go out, either. She selfishly wanted to keep Rafael and Noah to herself for the weekend. They would hopefully be busy moving soon and she wanted to just relax with them while she could.

* * *

As short while later, as she was looking at the cost to rent a moving van, Olivia heard a knock at the door.

“Noah, did you invite someone over?” she asked as she walked to the entryway.

“No, you did,” he answered automatically, smiling at the familiar game as he continued playing with his Legos and missing his father’s good-natured eye roll.

“Rachel, hi,” Olivia greeted, surprised to see the realtor.

“Sorry to bother you at home, but the current owners want to get the house closed on as soon as possible. They were able to move into their new home earlier than anticipated and are leaving for Colorado next weekend.”

“Closed on?” Olivia repeated.

“Did you not get my message?”

Olivia shook her head. “I had to get a new phone a few days ago…mine died and refused to turn back on. It must have gotten lost in the transition.”

“Oh, well, your offer was accepted, and like I said, the owners want to close as soon as possible, so I drew up the paperwork and brought it over. Do you and Rafael have time to go over it?”

“Sure, come in,” Olivia said, opening the door wider to admit the other woman.

Having heard the conversation, Rafael had closed the file and set his legal pad down before he stood to greet Rachel. “ _Mijo_ , you remember Rachel from last weekend?” he prompted his son.

“Hi,” Noah greeted before turning back to his Legos.

“Legos are a favorite in my house, too,” Rachel said with a smile.

* * *

Later that night, after signing the closing papers on their new home and eating pizza with their son, Olivia and Rafael cuddled with him on the couch while they watched a movie.

“I think he’s out,” Rafael said to Olivia about half-way through the movie.

Olivia looked over at Noah, who was sitting in Rafael’s lap with his head resting against his chest. He had his trusted stuffed elephant, Eddie, cuddled close and his eyes were closed, his breathing even. Reaching over, she brushed an errant curl away from his forehead and leaned forward to press a kiss there before looking over at Rafael. “Do you want me to take him?”

“I’ve got him,” he replied, gathering the little boy close as he stood and walked down the hall.

* * *

“He still out?” Olivia asked when she saw Rafael emerge from Noah’s room a short while later.

“Yes,” Rafael replied, reaching for the case file again when he returned to the living room.

Olivia plucked the file from his hand, setting it back down on the coffee table. “Nuh-uh. It’s time for bed, counselor.”

Rafael blinked at her, momentarily confused. Then he caught her meaning and grinned at her. “Mm. Bed sounds nice.”

Olivia laughed, stepping closer to kiss him deeply before taking his hand and leading him to their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I was writing this, I noticed that I used both dinner and supper, and I know to some people, those are to different meals. I've always used them interchangeably so my apologies if I confused anybody :) 
> 
> Also, I don't remember if they ever mentioned in canon where Lucia lives, but I did some research and didn't find anything, so I decided on Brooklyn. Either way, for the purpose of this story, that's where she lives. I know Rafael grew up in the Bronx, but I don't picture Lucia staying there forever.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to everyone who has left kudos and especially to those who have commented. I was watching some SVU episode highlights on YouTube today and got inspired so this chapter came together faster than I anticipated. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

Walking up to Sonny’s childhood home, Amanda felt more nervous than she could ever remember being. She’d met the parents of previous boyfriends, but none of those relationships had ever been as serious as this one, even if they had only been officially together for a short period of time. Shifting Billie in her arms, she looked over at Sonny, who was holding Jesse. Leaning over, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “It’ll be fine, Manda, they’ll love you all.”

Amanda nodded, taking a deep breath as he opened the door and announced their arrival.

* * *

The following Monday, Amanda sighed as she took a seat at her desk, taking a drink of her coffee before opening her laptop and getting straight to work.

“Bad weekend?” Fin asked, noticing she hadn’t greeted anyone as she usually did.

“Met Sonny’s parents.”

“Didn’t know you two were that serious.”

Amanda sighed again. The fact that the dinner had gone as well as it had was unnerving her. “Can we just get to work?”

“Sure thing.”

* * *

Noticing that Olivia hadn’t gone out for lunch and Rafael hadn’t shown up with it, Amanda stood and walked towards her office. She could use a little girl chat and while she hated interrupting work for it, she felt like she was going to crazy if she didn’t talk to someone soon. Olivia had been spot on with her advice before, and she hoped that would be the case again.

* * *

Looking up at the sound of the knock on her door, Olivia saw Amanda standing there with a nervous look on her face.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Do you have time for a girls’ lunch?”

Setting down her reading glasses, Olivia stood to grab her phone and coat. She could tell Amanda needed to talk and didn’t want anyone from the rest of the squad around.

“Come on, there’s this new bistro down the street that Rafa and I went to the other day. It’s phenomenal.”

* * *

Once they had gotten their food and chosen a table, Olivia turned to her friend.

“What’s going on?” she wondered.

“I met Sonny’s parents the other night,” Amanda told her.

“How did that go?”

“Better than I thought it was going to. His mom made his _Nonna’s_ spaghetti recipe, which the girls love. Sonny even got Jesse to try a piece of fried ravioli…and she _hates_ trying new foods.”

“Sounds like Rafa and Noah.”

“Really?”

Olivia laughed. “Yes. If I want Noah to try something and he’s even just a little unsure about it, it can be quite a struggle. The minute Rafa puts that same thing on his plate, however, Noah is suddenly interested and willing to try it.”

“How was your first meeting with Lucia after you and Barba became a couple?”

“Nerve-wracking. But she and Noah hit it off quickly, and she welcomed me with open arms. She’s been calling me _mija_ since the first night. It’s a term of endearment that means ‘my daughter’. Lucia has been a God-send. She’s everything I could ever want for my son’s grandmother and so much more. I’ve never worried that she’s going to run off with my son or that she doesn’t have Noah’s best interests at heart. She’s there for him at a moment’s notice. There have been a couple of times where Lucy couldn’t take him to school or pick him up, and neither could Rafa or I, so she filled in.”

“I’ve never been this serious about someone,” Amanda said a few moments later. “Both of his parents are great. Jesse and Billie are both normally pretty shy, but they weren’t around either of them. Dominick had both girls giggling with funny stories and I’m pretty sure I saw Gianna sneaking them cookies. Both Dominick and Gianna were friendly-they said they had heard a lot about me and were happy to finally be able to meet me, and they thanked me for bringing the girls over. They made me feel more like I belonged there in a short few hours than any length of time I’ve spent with my parents or my sister…and that kind of freaks me out.”

Olivia nodded in understanding. “I know it’s scary, but trust me, it’s worth it. Lucia is amazing and I don’t know what I’d do without her. She’s not only there for Noah and Rafa, but for me, too. It feels like she’s always been part of my life, even though really it’s only been a few weeks since Rafa came back.”

“Do you ever feel like you’re moving too quickly?” Amanda wondered.

“No. Being with Rafa is right. We wasted enough time denying our feelings. Neither of us wanted to waste any more time. This is it for both of us.”

“Honestly, we all thought you two would have gotten together a long time ago and be married by now.”

“Apparently we were obvious to everyone but ourselves.”

Amanda smiled. “Being with Sonny feels right, too. I can see my future with him. I know he loves me and my girls.”

“So take the win…and maybe spend some time figuring out what you want your next step to be.”

“I think I will. Thanks for the chat. I think I need to talk Sonny into trying this place, too.”

Olivia smiled. “Anytime. It was kind of nice to get out of the office for a bit.”

“I was kind of surprised you didn’t leave to have lunch with your new fiancé.”

“He has meetings with Alex and Jack along with some case prep for a trial that starts tomorrow. I’ll see him at home tonight.”

“Ya’ll are kind of adorable, you know that?”

Olivia laughed. “Don’t let Rafa hear you say that.”

* * *

A few days later, Rafael was walking to his office when he was stopped by Carmen putting a hand on his arm.

“Noah is here,” she told him. “Lucy called-said Noah hadn’t had a good day at school and was asking for you or Olivia, but she couldn’t get a hold of Olivia. She called the precinct and they said she was in witness interviews and it wasn’t a good case. I told her to bring Noah here and I’d keep an eye on him until you were out of court.”

“Did she say what happened?”

“No. She said Noah wouldn’t tell her; he just kept saying he only wanted you or Olivia. I got him some juice and convinced him to eat a muffin, but he definitely wasn’t himself…”

Rafael nodded, mentally trying to figure out what had gone wrong that would upset Noah so much. “Clear my afternoon…I’m going to take Noah home. If it’s urgent, forward it to my cell.”

“Already done. Do you want me to call the precinct and leave a message for Olivia to call you?”

“I’ll text her, thank you, though.”

* * *

As he stepped into his office, Rafael saw Noah lying on the couch holding one of the throw pillows close to his chest.

“Noah, _mijo_ , what happened?” he asked, taking a seat next to him on the couch.

“Dad,” Noah said tearfully, climbing into Rafael’s lap and wrapping his arms around his neck.

Rafael pressed a kiss to Noah’s temple and rubbed his back in an effort to get him to calm down. “Carmen said Lucy told her you had a bad day at school?”

Noah sniffled, resting his head on Rafael’s shoulder. “We were…reading out loud…in class…and I almost got it wrong…I had to sound it out…and everyone laughed at me. Then some of the kids were making fun of me for talking to Ms. Sanchez in Spanish. They said…I was…a teacher’s pet…and they didn’t believe…they said…they didn’t know why…you would want to be my dad.”

Rafael’s heart broke for the little boy in his arms. He knew firsthand how cruel kids could be. Especially when you did something they didn’t consider “normal”.

“There’s nothing wrong with sounding out a word…everyone learns at a different pace,” Rafael began as Noah shifted in his lap and rested his head against his chest. “There’s nothing wrong with talking to Ms. Sanchez in Spanish, either. As for not knowing why I’d want to be your dad, I wish I had an answer for that. I loved being your Uncle Rafa, but I love being your dad more. _Te amo, mijo_. _Siempre_.”

Noah nodded, his tears having subsided. “Will you bring me to school tomorrow?” he asked a few minutes later.

Rafael tried to recall his schedule, frowning when all he could remember at the moment was that he didn’t have court.

“Carmen,” he called, hoping his assistant was nearby and could hear him. When she didn’t appear, he turned to Noah. “Come on, _mijo_ , let’s go find Carmen.”

Noah nodded, reluctantly leaving his father’s embrace to stand and take his hand, following him out of the office. “Can we go see Uncle Sonny too?”

“We can see if he’s in his office,” Rafael agreed, holding tight to his son’s hand.

* * *

Setting down the phone, Carmen looked up to see Rafael standing by her desk, Noah by his side.

“Everything okay?” she asked, looking between father and son.

“Bad day,” Rafael explained. “Do I have any meetings right away in the morning?”

Carmen shook her head. “No. Nothing until ten. A meeting with Rita Calhoun.”

“Perfect. I’m taking Noah to school in the morning, so I’ll be in later than normal,” he said before turning back to his son. “Come on, _mijo_ , let’s get our stuff and then we can go say hi to Uncle Sonny before we go home.”

Noah nodded, following his father back into the office and quickly putting his backpack on while Rafael gathered some case files and put them in his briefcase before grabbing his laptop.

* * *

Watching Rafael and Noah walk down the hall hand-in-hand, the former with his briefcase in his other hand and the latter with his backpack on, Carmen took out her phone and took a couple of quick pictures. The sight was too adorable not to. She was happy to be working for Rafael again; he was a good boss, and she was happy that he had finally found happiness with Olivia and Noah. From the brief glimpses she’d gotten of him as a father, she could see he adored Noah…and Noah adored him just as much. She hadn’t seen him with Olivia yet since she’d been back, but she doubted it would be much longer until she did.

* * *

Fighting a headache, Sonny was glad he had the office to himself so he could try and get some case prep done. He had a case for SVU that he had assured Rafael that he could handle himself plus one that Rafael had asked him if he wanted to be co-counsel on. He was also trying to figure out how to ask Amanda to move in with him…and where exactly they’d live if she agreed. He was brought out of his thoughts by the sound of a knock on the open door. Looking up, he saw Rafael and Noah.

“Hey, bud,” he said as Noah rushed over to hug him. “How’s the smartest kid I know?”

Noah shrugged, looking back at his father for reassurance. “I’m okay,” he finally answered.

“Bad day,” Rafael clarified. “We’re heading home, but he wanted to stop and say hi.”

Sonny nodded in understanding before opening a drawer and pulling out a small plastic container. Opening it, he pulled out a cookie and held it out to Noah. “Aunt Amanda made cookies and I was instructed to save one for you.”

Noah smiled, taking the cookie from his honorary uncle. “Will you, Aunt Amanda, Jesse, and Billie come over soon?” he asked.

“I’m sure we can work something out. I’ll text your mom and Aunt Amanda.”

Noah nodded, satisfied with that answer, before walking back over to his father and taking his hand. “Goodnight, Uncle Sonny.”

“’Night, bud.”

* * *

“Rafa?” Olivia called as she walked into their apartment.

“Kitchen,” Rafael called back.

Toeing off her shoes and putting her gun away, Olivia walked into the kitchen to see Rafael and Noah at the counter. The former was cutting the garlic bread while the latter was adding parmesan cheese to the plates of spaghetti. The soundtrack to one of Noah’s favorite movies was playing over the speakers as they worked.

“Aren’t you two just adorable,” she commented, pressing a kiss to Noah’s head.

“We do our best,” Rafael said, setting down the knife and wrapping an arm around her waist to pull her into his side.

Olivia smiled, leaning forward to brush her lips with Rafael’s. “Everything okay?” she asked.

Rafael looked over at his son before answering his fiancée. “It’s spaghetti night and we have cheesy garlic bread…I think we’re good.”

Olivia nodded, understanding that he didn’t want to upset Noah now that his mood had improved and he would fill her in later. “I’m going to get changed.”

“Go get washed up, _mijo_ ,” Rafael said to his son. “I’ll bring everything to the table.”

* * *

After dinner, Rafael and Olivia sat with Noah on the couch.

“ _Mijo_ , do you want to tell your Mom what happened at school today?” Rafael prompted.

“No,” Noah replied softly.

“Lucy left me a message; she said you had a bad day at school,” Olivia told him.

“I already talked to Dad about it. I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Is it something your Dad and I need to talk to your teacher about?”

“I just said I didn’t want to talk about anymore!”

“Noah,” Rafael said sternly. “Your Mom is just trying to understand what happened so she can figure out if there’s a way she can help you.”

“I don’t want you to talk to the teacher…the kids make fun of me enough as it is.”

“Is that what happened today?” Olivia asked softly.

Noah nodded, tears forming in his eyes again.

“What did they say?”

Noah was silent as he tried to calm down so he could talk without crying. When he couldn’t, he just shook his head as he let the tears fall for the second time that day.

“Oh, my sweet boy,” Olivia soothed, pulling Noah into her arms. “Is it okay if your Dad tells me? I’d like to know what happened.”

Noah looked over at his father and reached for his hand. Scooting closer, Rafael put his arm around Olivia and Noah, using his free hand to run a hand through the latter’s curls.

“The other kids…made fun of me…for almost saying a word wrong…when we were…reading…out loud…and for talking…in Spanish…to…Ms. Sanchez. Then….they said…they didn’t know why Dad…would _want_ to be my dad,” Noah said between sobs.

Olivia met Rafael’s eyes over their son’s head before she spoke to her son again. “Did Ms. Kingston say anything to the kids who laughed at you?”

“She…told them…everyone…makes mistakes…and it’s…not nice…to laugh…at others…for trying.”

“Did Ms. Sanchez say anything?” Rafael wondered.

Noah nodded. “She said…that we should…practice…our Spanish…whenever we can…and I wasn’t…the only one…who had spoken to her in Spanish.”

“When did the kids say those things about your Dad?” Olivia asked.

“During recess.”

“Did anyone hear them?”

“Ms. Kingston. She said…that that was mean…and they shouldn’t…talk like that. She said I was…lucky…to have a dad…like mine.”

“She’s right,” Olivia said with a smile for Rafael. “You are _very_ lucky to have a dad like yours. You know he loves you very much, right?”

Noah nodded. “He’s the best storyteller, too,” he said, eliciting chuckles from Olivia and Rafael.

“No one does the voices quite like your Dad, huh?”

Noah smiled and shook his head before turning to the man in question. “Will you read to me tonight?”

“Sure.”

“I thought you had a lot of work to do?” Olivia asked him.

“It can wait.”

“I still have homework to do,” Noah remembered. “Reading. Can I read on the couch while Dad works?”

“As long as you’re quiet,” Olivia replied. “Go get your book.”

Noah nodded, sliding off the couch to do as his mother instructed. Leaning over, Olivia brushed her lips with Rafael’s a couple of times. “You’re a good Dad,” she told him with a smile.

“I try,” he replied, pulling her close for another kiss before standing to grab his briefcase.

* * *

Later that night, as she and Rafael lay curled in each other’s arms, Olivia pressed a kiss to his neck before she brought up something that had been on her mind for a while.

“Rafa?”

“Hmm?” Rafael asked, opening his eyes to look at her. “What’s wrong, _mi vida_?”

“Nothing’s wrong, really, I was just thinking about our wedding…” Olivia began, biting her lip as she contemplated how to explain her thoughts.

Rafael was immediately concerned. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

Olivia shook her head quickly, leaning over to kiss him before she spoke again. “No, not at all. The opposite, I guess.”

“What do you mean?”

“I just want to married to you, Rafa. I don’t want to wait for some date a year or so from now so we can plan some fancy wedding I never really wanted anyway. I want us to be married, and for your adoption of Noah to be finalized. For us to be a family, legally.”

“Let me make some calls tomorrow and I’ll see what I can do.”

“Really?”

Rafael smiled at her, reaching up to run his hand through her hair. “Being married to you and having my adoption of Noah be finalized…it sounds perfect. We can have a big party with all of our friends once we’ve settled in our new home.”

“Our new home,” Olivia repeated with a grin, leaning forward to press her lips to Rafael’s.

“ _Te amo_ ,” he told her between kisses, pulling her closer to deepen them. “Thank you for giving me another chance.”

“I’m glad you came home.”

“Me, too.”

* * *

The next morning, as they approached Noah's school, Rafael felt Noah grip his hand tighter. Stopping near the entrance to the schoolyard, Rafael crouched in front of him.

“You okay?” he asked, searching Noah’s face.

Noah nodded. “Can I come to your office again next week?”

“How about I talk to your Mom and Lucy about making Wednesdays our afternoon? As long as I don’t have court, and you promise to let me work.”

“I promise.”

Rafael smiled, running a hand over Noah’s hair and pressing a kiss to his forehead. “ _Tener un buen día en la escuela_. _Te amo_.”

“ _También te amo_ ,” Noah replied, giving Rafael a hug before spotting his friends and running towards them.

“Was that your Dad?” Rafael heard one of them ask.

“Yes,” Noah replied with a smile.

“He speaks Spanish?” another friend asked.

Noah nodded. “My Mom and _Abuelita_ do, too.”

Rafael chuckled at the conversation, sending a quick text to Olivia as he walked away.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Rafael was attempting to ignore the protests of hunger from his stomach as he tried to finish prepping for a case that was going to trail in a few days. It was one that Alex had asked him personally to prosecute, and he wanted to make sure he didn’t miss anything. Hearing the sound of familiar footsteps, he looked up and saw Olivia walking into his office.

“This is a nice surprise,” he said, rounding his desk as she shut the door behind herself.

“I had to stop by and see Carisi about a case, and I know how hard you’ve been working on the Peterson case, so I thought I would bring you lunch,” she explained, setting the bag on his desk.

Rafael pulled her into his arms and brushed his lips with hers. “Lunch with my beautiful fiancée? I would never turn that down…I’m also starving.”

Olivia laughed, using his tie to bring him close for another kiss. “Your beautiful fiancée knows you well.”

“That she does,” Rafael agreed, reluctantly letting her go so she could take out their lunch.

“How was Noah this morning?” she asked as they settled on the nearby couch and began to eat.

“Good. His day seemed to start better than yesterday, so hopefully it stays that way. He asked if he could come to my office every Wednesday.”

“He likes spending time with you.”

“Feeling’s mutual. I told him I’d talk to you about it, but he had to promise to be quiet and let me work.”

Olivia smiled at him. “He has you wrapped around his finger,” she teased.

Rafael simply smiled and shrugged. “So does his mother, but I’m not complaining. Besides, it’s nice to have him close by.”

“I’m sure Lucy would appreciate the extra study time. Would you be able to get him from school?”

“Depends on the day. It would be easier if Lucy could get him and bring him here, though. Or if one of his friends’ parents could drop him off.”

“I’ll talk to Lucy. I’m sure we can figure something out.”

* * *

Once he had put Jesse and Billie to bed, Sonny walked back into the living room to find Amanda clicking through pictures on her laptop.

“What are you looking at?” he asked, taking a seat next to her on the couch.

“Apartments,” Amanda answered simply, continuing to click through pictures.

“I thought you could barely afford the rent on this place?”

Amanda shrugged. “I figured with our salaries combined, we could afford a bigger place.”

Sonny blinked at her for a few moments before he found his voice. “Did you just ask me to move in with you?”

Amanda sighed, setting her laptop down and then turning to face him. “In a totally un-romantic, roundabout way, yes, I guess I did,” she said with a sigh. “I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.”

Sonny chuckled, pulling her close and giving her a kiss. “I don’t care. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to ask you the same thing. You, me, Jesse, and Billie…it sounds _perfetto_.”

* * *

A week and a half later, Amanda and Sonny were waiting with Olivia and Rafael in the latter’s office, trying to get information out of the other couple as to what was going on.

“What are we waiting for exactly?” Amanda asked. “And why are Barba and Sonny dressed like they’re going to court?”

“Well, _I_ did have court this morning,” Sonny reminded her.

“ _Dios_ ,” Rafael muttered before turning to his fiancée. “You might as well just tell them. They’re going to figure it out eventually when the judge shows up.”

“ _Judge?!_ ” Amanda and Sonny nearly shouted.

Olivia simply smiled at them Rafael slid his arm around her waist and she leaned into his side. “Rafa made some calls. Lucia is bringing Noah. The judge should be here shortly as well. We’re getting married. You are two of our closest friends and we wanted you here today. Fin and Kat are holding down the fort for the time being.”

“Damn,” Amanda said in response.

“That’s a bad word, Aunt Amanda,” Noah reminded her as he and Lucia walked into the room, eliciting laughter from the adults.

“Sorry, buddy. Your Mom and Dad surprised me is all.”

* * *

Standing in front of the judge, an old friend of Rafael’s named Helen, Olivia held Rafael’s hands in hers as they exchanged vows.

Squeezing Olivia’s hands, Rafael spoke first. “I, Rafael, take thee, Olivia, for my lawful wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

Feeling tears begin to pool in her eyes, Olivia concentrated on Rafael as she spoke. “I, Olivia, take thee, Rafael, for my lawful wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.”

After a few more words from the judge, Rafael turned to Lucia for Olivia’s ring while Olivia turned to Noah for his. At Helen’s nod, he took Olivia’s hand in his and slid the ring on her finger as he continued speaking. “Olivia, with this ring, I thee wed.”

Fighting back tears, Olivia took Rafael’s hand in hers and slipped the ring onto his finger as she repeated his words. “Rafael, with this ring, I thee wed.” 

Smiling at the couple, Helen spoke again. “By the power vested in me by the state of New York, I now pronounce you husband and wife…you may kiss the bride.”

Tugging on Olivia’s hand, Rafael pulled her close, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pressed his lips to hers, smiling into the kiss when he felt her wrap her arms around his neck.

* * *

After she had given the newly wedded couple a few minutes to themselves, Helen cleared her throat to get their attention.

“Now, to the other matter that brings me here today,” she said, taking out the adoption papers and turning to Noah. “Is this what _you_ want, Noah?”

“Yes,” he replied confidently.

“Then I’m signing off on the adoption…making you officially Noah Porter Barba.”

Watching Rafael and Olivia embrace their son, Amanda leaned into Sonny’s side with a wide smile on her face. Glancing over at Lucia, she saw the older woman wiping away happy tears. Pressing a kiss to Amanda’s temple, Sonny couldn’t help but wonder if the two of them would be part of a similar ceremony someday. He loved Amanda and he loved her daughters, and he was positive his future was with them.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you to everyone who has commented (and left kudos) on this. The comments keep me going. Did some SVU marathoning and got inspired, so I was able to finally finish this chapter. Lots of old friends coming to visit :)
> 
> Enjoy!

* * *

The next Saturday, as they waited for their friends to arrive, Olivia and Rafael sat close together while they talked.

“I hear congratulations are in order,” a familiar voice said from behind them.

Turning, Olivia grinned when she saw her former partner. “Nick!” she said, standing to embrace him. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, it’s Maria’s weekend with Zara, so when Barba called and asked me to fly in for the weekend to surprise you, I couldn’t say no,” he replied, moving to shake Rafael’s hand.

“You arranged this?” Olivia asked her husband.

“I may have made a few phone calls,” Rafael admitted with a smile.

* * *

Walking into Forlini’s, Sonny spotted a familiar face sitting with Rafael and Olivia, and immediately felt his stomach drop. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Nick; he just didn’t like his history with Amanda. It made him feel insecure and that wasn’t a feeling he particularly liked.

Following Sonny’s line of sight, Amanda slid her arm around his waist and pressed into his side. “I love _you_ , Sonny Carisi,” she reminded him.

“I love you, too,” Sonny replied, slipping his arm around her shoulders and walking with her towards their friends’ table.

* * *

“So…Amanda and Carisi?” Nick asked, nodding towards the approaching couple.

“Must be something in the water,” Rafael said, taking a sip of his scotch to hide his smile at Olivia’s amused eye-roll.

“Really, Rafa?” she asked, earning her a shrug in response from her husband and a laugh from Nick.

“What’s so funny?” Amanda asked as she and Sonny took the seats next to Olivia.

“Rafael has decided there’s something in the water at SVU,” Olivia explained.

“Well, if there is, I’m not complaining,” Sonny told her with a laugh, earning him a silent glass raise from Rafael.

“I think they’re spending too much time together,” Amanda said to Olivia. “Your husband is a bad influence on my boyfriend.”

This time it was Rafael’s turn to roll his eyes, but he was still smiling. He had spotted Olivia’s next surprise and couldn’t wait to see her reaction.

* * *

“You know, I always suspected you two would end up together,” Olivia heard another new voice say from behind her.

“Munch!” she said, once again rising out of her chair to hug her friend. “Did Rafael call you too?”

“He did,” Munch confirmed, nodding at Rafael before taking a seat next to Nick. “He’s a good man, Liv.”

“The best,” Olivia agreed with a smile as she reclaimed her seat next to her husband and leaned into his side when he stretched his arm along the back of her chair.

* * *

Rushing into the restaurant, Rita quickly scanned the room for her friend. She had debated whether or not to accept Rafael’s invitation, but he and Olivia had both insisted she was more than welcome. She and Rafael had been friends since college, and she and Olivia had developed a fast friendship as well. It helped that the other woman made her friend happier than she’d ever seen him.

“It’s Rita, right?” a voice asked from beside her. Turning, she saw Fin standing next to her.

“Yes…and you’re…Sergeant Tutola?”

“Fin is fine. How do you know Liv and Barba?”

“Rafael and I went to college together. Your friend brought him home and I’ll forever be grateful to her for it.”

“You really think he wouldn’t have come back if it weren’t for her?”

“I think a lot of things in his life would be different if it weren’t for her.”

“He makes her happy…the happiest I’ve seen her,” Fin said. “We should join them.”

Rita nodded, following him over to the table.

* * *

As he walked into Forlini’s, Eddie immediately felt out of place. When Olivia had invited him, he hadn’t realized how big of a group would be gathering. But he had wanted to be here for his friend.

“You feeling a little intimidated by the group, too?” he heard someone ask from his side.

“You know them?” he asked the woman.

“Some of them. I’m new to the squad,” she answered, holding out her hand. “I’m Kat.”

Eddie shook her hand. “I’m Eddie. I’m an old friend of Rafael’s.”

“Liv invited you?”

“Yeah. How’d you know?”

“I work with detectives all day long…and I’m studying to become one myself,” Kat told him with a smile. “Come on, let’s walk over together. Maybe it’ll be less awkward that way.”

Eddie returned her smile. “Thanks.”

* * *

“I found a straggler,” Kat announced as she and Eddie approached the table.

“Eddie,” Rafael said as he stood to embrace his longtime friend while Olivia went to greet Kat. “What are you doing here?”

“ _Tu **esposa**_ called me,” Eddie replied.

Rafael shared a smile with Olivia as she returned to his side.

“It’s nice to see you again, Eddie,” she said. “I’m glad you could be here. Have a seat; I’ll introduce you to the rest of the group.”

Figuring that Eddie would want to sit next to Rafael, Rita scooted over a seat to make room for him. Smiling gratefully, Eddie took the offered seat and listened carefully to Olivia’s introductions.

* * *

Once Alex, Melinda, Casey, Carmen, and George had arrived, Fin saw Rafael still occasionally flick his gaze towards the entrance. “Waiting for someone else?” he asked. 

After making sure Olivia was still distracted by the newest arrivals, Rafael turned to Fin and nodded. “I made one more phone call. He said they might be a bit late, but they’d do their best to make it.”

“You organized this whole thing?” Eddie asked from his seat beside Rafael.

“Sort of. Liv and I were originally going to get together with just the current squad, but then she mentioned how she wished she could get the whole family together. So I enlisted Amanda’s help and made some phone calls myself. I wanted to surprise her.”

* * *

“Sorry we’re late, traffic was a nightmare.”

Looking up, Olivia saw her former captain and his wife standing at the end of the table.

“Cragen,” she said with a smile, squeezing Rafael’s knee as she stood to greet him and Eileen.

“Let me guess…Rafael called you?” Olivia asked as she hugged them.

“He did,” Cragen confirmed. “He obviously loves you very much if he’s willing to put this all together for you.”

“He’s my best friend and the love of my life.”

“I’m happy for you, Olivia. How’s your little boy?”

“Growing like a weed,” Olivia said with a laugh. “I have pictures.”

* * *

“You have a step-son?” Eddie asked, overhearing Olivia talking with Cragen.

“He’s my son,” Rafael corrected with a small smile. “The adoption became official the same day Liv and I got married. But he was my son long before that.”

“Do you have as many pictures as your wife?”

Rafael chuckled and nodded. “Considering it was _my_ phone he had yesterday when he was taking pictures, I make no guarantees of what exactly is on here. I haven’t had a chance to go through them yet.”

“How old is he?”

“He’s seven. His name is Noah.”

“You seem happy, Rafi,” Eddie commented as Rafael handed him his phone.

“I am,” Rafael confirmed with a smile. “I have…more than I ever thought possible.”

* * *

A few weeks later, sitting in Rafael’s office going over a case, everyone turned at the sound of a knock on the door, surprised, and annoyed, to see McCoy standing there. The man seemed to constantly be lurking around.

“Jack,” Rafael greeted. “Is there something we can do for you?”

“Just wanted to say congratulations…and I appreciate all of your hard work on the Peterson case.”

“Thank you.”

Jack looked around at the group gathered in the office, the various notes spread out across almost every surface, the pictures posted on a nearby bulletin board. “I take it none of you have had lunch?” he asked.

“I guess we lost track of time,” Olivia answered with a shrug, sharing a confused look with Rafael.

“Lunch is on me. Carmen can take care of the details. Good luck with your case,” McCoy said before turning and leaving the room.

“What just happened?” Sonny asked.

“No idea,” Rafael answered. Glancing at his watch and seeing that it was only about an hour until school was out for the day, he turned to Olivia. “Who’s picking up Noah?”

“I was going to until we caught this case,” she answered. “Lucy is sick.”

“Did you add my mom to the list of people authorized to pick him up?”

“Yes. Do you think she’d be able to?”

“I’ll call her and find out,” he said, taking out his phone and walking out of the office.

* * *

Looking up from her paperwork, Lucia was surprised to see her son’s name pop up on her cell phone screen. Worried something was wrong, she picked up immediately.

“Rafi?” she answered.

“ _Mami_ , I need a favor.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Mostly. Liv and I caught a rather difficult case; I’m not sure how late we’ll be here. Noah is supposed to get out of school in about an hour…”

“I’ll be there. As if I would pass up the chance to spend more time with _mi nieto_.”

Rafael chuckled. “Try not to spoil my kid too much.”

Lucia smiled at Rafael’s words. A few years ago, she’d never thought she’d hear the words ‘my kid’ out of her son’s mouth, let alone with so much affection.

“I’m his _Abuelita_. It’s my job to spoil him.”

“ _Te amo, Mami_.”

Lucia smiled. “ _También te amo, mijo_.”

* * *

Walking out of school, Noah looked around for Lucy or one of his parents, frowning when he didn’t see them. Then he spotted his grandmother and grinned as he ran over to her.

“¡ _Abuelita_!” he said excitedly.

“ _Hola, nieto_ ,” Lucia greeted, bending to hug her grandson tightly. “How was school?”

“Good. Will you make _arroz con pollo_ for dinner?”

Lucia smiled as she stood and took Noah’s hand. “Sure. Let me just ask your dad if you have the ingredients at home.”

Noah nodded, waiting patiently while Lucia called Rafael.

“He wants to talk to you,” she said a few minutes later, handing him the phone.

“ _Hola, mijo_ ,” Rafael greeted.

“Dad!” Noah replied with a smile. “ _Abuelita_ said she’d make _arroz con pollo_.”

“I heard. Be good for your _Abeulita_ , okay? Your mami and I might be working late tonight. We’ll be home as soon as we can.”

“I will.”

* * *

Later that night, Olivia and Rafael tried to be as quiet as they could as they entered their apartment. It was later than they’d both like and Noah was likely already sleeping.

“You two look like you could fall asleep on your feet,” Lucia said, studying her son and daughter-in-law carefully.

“That’s _exactly_ how I feel,” Olivia answered, toeing off her shoes.

“You two sit. I’ll warm up some leftover _arroz con pollo_. Although your son ate quite a bit of it.”

“Pretty sure it’s topped mac and cheese as his favorite meal,” Rafael said with a chuckle as he and Olivia took seats at the breakfast bar.

“There’s _pastelitos_ in a container for breakfast, and I made some _ropa vieja_ as well.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Lucia,” Olivia told her, leaning her head against Rafael’s shoulder.

* * *

Early Monday morning, Rafael and Olivia woke to the sound of Noah crying.

“I’ll check on him,” Rafael told her. “You try and get some more sleep.”

Olivia nodded, trusting him to take care of their son.

* * *

Walking into Noah’s room, Rafael saw him sitting up on the bed, clutching Eddie.

“ _Mijo_ , what’s wrong?” he asked, taking a seat on the bed and wrapping his arms around his son.

“I don’t feel good,” Noah answered, leaning into his father’s chest.

Frowning, Rafael lifted a hand and felt Noah’s forehead. It was warmer than he’d like. “Does anything hurt?”

“My throat.”

“I’m going to get you some medicine and something to drink, okay? You wait here with Eddie.”

Noah nodded, hugging his stuffed elephant tightly again.

* * *

When Rafael returned a few minutes later, Noah was still sitting up in bed, but he’d loosened his grip on Eddie. After taking the medicine and a drink of the juice his father had brought him, he resumed his earlier position of leaning against Rafael’s chest. Running his fingers through Noah’s hair, Rafael softly hummed a lullaby his mother used to sing to him when he was little.

“What’s that song?” Noah asked sleepily.

“It’s a lullaby that your _Abuelita_ used to sing to me when I was your age.”

“I like it.”

Rafael smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of Noah’s head. When he was sure the boy was asleep, he gently laid him down and covered him up before walking back to his and Olivia’s bedroom.

* * *

“What’s wrong with Noah?” Olivia asked as Rafael slid back into bed beside her.

“Sore throat. I gave him some medicine and some water. He’s sleeping again now,” Rafael answered. “I can work from here today and stay home with him.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. I’ll let Alex know later, when it’s not the middle of the night. I know you have a lot to get done at work, especially since you spent most of the day on the new case.”

“I’d rather be here with Noah.”

“I can take care of him…”

Olivia smiled, leaning over to brush her lips with his. “I know. You’re an excellent father, Rafa. I just hate leaving him, especially when he’s sick.”

“Maybe you could go in for a bit in the morning and then work from here in the afternoon?”

“I think that’s probably best. I don’t want to expose Noah to anything I don’t have to. I’ll talk to Garland in the morning.”

Rafael pulled her closer, smiling as she tucked herself into his side and rested her head on his shoulder. “Noah will be fine, _mi vida_ , get some sleep,” he told her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

* * *

Later that morning, Rafael softly opened Noah’s door to check on him. He needed to take more medicine and eat something, but also needed his rest. Deciding to let him rest a bit longer, he was about to walk out the door when he heard crying. Turning, he saw Noah sitting up in bed, reaching for the glass of water Rafael had left there earlier.

“Throat still hurt, _mijo_?” Rafael asked, taking a seat on the bed and running his hand over Noah’s hair.

Noah nodded tearfully, climbing into his father’s lap and leaning against his chest.

“Let’s get you some more medicine and some juice,” Rafael said, shifting Noah off of his lap so he could stand and lift him into his arms.

* * *

Walking into the kitchen, Rafael smiled when he saw that Olivia had already set out a dose of medicine and a glass of juice.

“Looks like your mami is a mind reader,” he commented, making Noah smile a little. “Are you hungry?”

Noah nodded, taking the medicine and juice as he eyed his father curiously.

“¿ _Huevos?_ ” Rafael suggested, earning a nod from Noah. “Okay. Let’s get you settled on the couch and then I’ll make you some breakfast.”

* * *

“How’s he feeling?” Olivia asked Rafael as she walked into the kitchen and saw him dividing up the eggs he’d made onto three plates.

“Temperature stayed the same, but it’s still a bit higher than I’d like. Throat still hurts. I think it hurts to talk. I was going to let him rest on the couch while I work. I think we’d both feel better that way,” he replied, leaning over for a quick kiss.

Olivia smiled at him and gave him another kiss. “I think you’ve got this dad thing all figured out.”

Rafael simply shrugged. “I try.”

“I meant what I said earlier Rafa, you are an _excellent_ father. I know you love our son and he knows it, too. I feel better about going into work this morning because I know you’re here with him.”

Rafael sighed, sliding his arms around her waist and bringing her close, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m so close to calling my mom. I have no idea what I’m doing, Livia.”

“Does she have any secret Cuban recipes for sore throats?”

Rafael chuckled. “She might.”

“If it’ll make you feel better, call her. I can’t tell you how many times I wished I had someone I could call when I feel out of my element and unsure of what to do as a parent.”

“Would you mind if I asked her to come over?”

“Not at all. I think it’ll be good for Noah’s spirits at the very least to see her.”

“ _Te amo, mi esposa_ ,” Rafael said softly, leaning forward to kiss her. “So much.”

“ _También te amo, mi epsoso_ ,” Olivia replied. “You call your mom; I’ll bring Noah his breakfast and refill his juice.”

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Rafael walked into his and Olivia’s bedroom, dialing his mother’s number as he walked. It only took two rings for her to pick up.

“Rafi,” she greeted warmly. “Do you need me to pick up _mi nieto_ for school?”

“He’s sick, _Mami_.”

“Fever?”

“A little. Sore throat.”

“Do you need me to stay with him?”

“I’m staying home with him today and Liv is hoping to get the afternoon off, or at least be able to work from here. But I think we’d all feel better if you came over...”

“ _Por supuesto, mijo_. I’ll be there as soon as I can. Do you want me to stop and pick up anything?”

“More juice. You know the kind he likes?”

“Yes.”

“ _Gracias, Mami_.”

“Anything for _mi familia_.”

* * *

“My mom is coming over,” Rafael said as he walked back into the living room. “She said she’d stop and pick up some more juice for Noah, too. Though I suspect she’ll arrive with quite a bit more than that.”

Olivia smiled as she ran her fingers through Noah’s curls. “I called his pediatrician,” she confessed.

“What did he say?”

“He said to watch his temperature, keep giving him medicine and it should hopefully go away in a few days. If it doesn’t, or gets worse, we should take him in. I made a follow up appointment for next week. Where is his inhaler?”

“Medicine cabinet. I’ll go grab it and bring it down.”

“Dad. Sing,” Noah whispered.

“What’s that, sweet boy?” Olivia asked. When Noah didn’t respond, she looked over at Rafael to see if he’d heard.

“I sang him a lullaby last night that my mom used to sing to me,” he explained.

Olivia smiled. “I think he wants you to sing it again. I’ll go shower and then bring his inhaler down,” she said, pressing a kiss to Noah’s forehead before standing and walking upstairs.

Taking Olivia’s previous place on the couch, Rafael ran his fingers through Noah’s hair as he sang, smiling when the boy fell back asleep not long after.

* * *

Arriving at her son’s house, Lucia used her key to open the door, not wanting to disturb Noah if he was sleeping. Apparently having heard her, she saw Rafael in the entryway a few moments later.

“ _Gracias, Mami_ ,” he said, repeating his earlier words as he bent to hug her and press a kiss to her cheek.

“How is _mi nieto_?” she asked.

“Sleeping. Liv just left for work. I was just going to grab a quick shower.”

“Go ahead, _mijo_. I’ll watch him.”

Rafael nodded, grateful for his mother’s presence.

* * *

Watching Olivia walk into the precinct, Fin immediately noticed something was off with his friend.

“Liv, everythin’ okay?” he asked.

“Noah is sick,” she answered with a sigh. “Rafael and Lucia are with him, so I’m sure he’s fine.”

“But you’d rather be there to see for yourself. I get it.”

Olivia smiled gratefully at her friend. “Is Garland here yet?”

“In your office. Why don’t I join you, that way I can stay in the loop and you can go home to Noah.”

“I owe you, Fin. Really.”

“Don’t worry about it. That’s what friends, and second-in-commands, are for.”

Olivia smiled as she and Fin walked to her office, grateful to have Fin’s silent strength beside her.

* * *

“Did I hear you say your son is sick?” Garland asked as Olivia and Fin entered the office.

“Yes,” Olivia replied. “Fin volunteered to sit in with us so he can stay up-to-date. I’m planning on going home to my son after this.”

“We could have rescheduled. This isn’t urgent.” When Olivia and Fin both looked surprised at his words, he continued. “I take it that wasn’t the attitude of the previous chief?”

“Not really, no.”

“Well, since we’re already here, let’s get this over with so you can get home.”

* * *

When she entered her house just over an hour later, Olivia was surprised to find only Lucia in the living room with Noah.

“ _Hola,_ Lucia,” Olivia greeted.

“ _Hola, mija_. I sent Rafi to his office,” Lucia explained, having seen her daughter-in-law’s confused expression. “Alex called; something about a video conference since he couldn’t be in the office today.”

Olivia nodded. “He’s still sleeping?”

“Yes. Has been since before I got here. He needs his rest.”

“He does. Rafa and I both really appreciate you being here, Lucia.”

“ _No es nada_ ,” Lucia replied with a wave of her hand. “For the three of you? Anything.”

“ _Abuelita?_ ” Noah asked sleepily, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“How are you feeling, _nieto_?”

“Thirsty.”

Olivia handed him the cup that was sitting on the coffee table. “Here you go, sweet boy.”

“Dad?” he asked after taking a drink of the juice.

“In his office, he had to work for a little bit.”

“Oh.”

“Maybe we should go check on him, bring him a snack?” Olivia suggested, knowing her husband’s penchant for snacking, especially when he was working.

Noah nodded, taking her hand and letting her lead him first to the kitchen and then to Rafael’s office, Lucia following close behind them.

* * *

Opening the door to Rafael’s office, Olivia saw his laptop was open and he was listening to Alex speak, followed by Carisi. When he looked up and saw her, she nodded down at Noah and shrugged in apology. Rafael shook his head, and then indicated that she could let Noah walk over to him. Needing no further encouragement, Noah quickly walked over to him, happily surprised when Rafael lifted him onto his lap.

“I guess we’ll let the boys work,” Olivia joked to Lucia as they left the room. “Although it hurts a little that he prefers Rafael to me right now.”

“Do you think he’s still afraid Rafi is going to leave again?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think so, he hasn’t mentioned it. Did he say anything to you the other night?”

“No. I think he and Rafi are just bonding. I told him the story about the first time I met you and he thought it was fascinating. He wanted to know what I thought about you, if I liked you. Lots of questions.”

Olivia smiled and nodded. “Did Rafa leaving any _pastelitos_? I’m starving.”

“Let’s find out. If not, I’ll make more.”

* * *

“Hey, bud,” Carisi greeted when he saw Noah appear on the screen.

“Uncle Sonny,” Noah said with a smile.

“ _Mijo_ , this is my boss, Alex," Rafael said, nodding to the woman sitting beside Sonny. "She’s known your mami for a long time, too.”

“Longer than you?”

Rafael chuckled as he nodded. “Longer than me,” he confirmed.

“Heard you’re not feeling too great,” Sonny said to Noah, who nodded and laid his head against Rafael’s chest.

Rafael pressed a kiss to the top of his head before addressing Alex and Carisi again. “So, the Gregory case...what do we know?”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kind of a filler chapter while I figure out where I want to go with this or if I want to end it. But I wanted to get Noah feeling better and for the Barba family to have more time together :)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

Later that afternoon, Lucia walked to her son’s office to bring lunch for him and her grandson while Olivia took a phone call upstairs. When her light knock didn’t receive a response, she quietly opened the door and looked around. She spotted both of them on the couch in the corner of the room, fast asleep. Rafael was lying on his back with Noah tucked into his side. The little boy’s head was resting on his father’s shoulder while his hand rested on Rafael’s chest. Taking out her cell phone, she quickly snapped a picture before reaching for the blanket on the back of the couch and carefully draping it over them.

* * *

“Everything okay?” Olivia asked as she returned to the living room. “Where’s Noah?”

Lucia opened her phone and brought up the picture she’d just taken, showing it to her daughter-in-law. “Apparently the boys decided it was naptime.”

“Will you send that to me? That’s too adorable.”

“Of course. Everything okay at work?”

“Slight hiccup, but Fin and I worked through it.”

“He’s a sergeant now, right?”

“Yes, and he’s a lifesaver. He’s been with SVU nearly as long as I have. It took a little bit of convincing to get him to take the sergeants exam, but he’s taken to it quickly. Amanda says he loves being in charge, but he’ll never admit it.”

Lucia smiled. She knew Olivia and her squad were friends, and she thought that made them a better team. “You have a new officer as well, correct?”

“Yes. Kat. She’s doing really well. She’s studying to be a detective, with Fin’s help.”

“It sounds like you have a good team.”

“I’m still short-handed, technically, but yes, my team is amazing. Kat coming in kind of changed the dynamic a bit and we’re still adjusting, I think, but we’re getting there.”

“I’m sure you will,” Lucia told her before changing the subject. “How’s _mi nieto_ doing in school?”

Olivia smiled, filling Lucia in about Noah’s latest school activities as they ate their lunch together.

* * *

“Dad, I’m hungry.”

Rafael blinked open his eyes, turning his head to look at his son. “Sorry, _mijo_ , I didn’t mean to fall asleep and forget about lunch. I’m sure your _abuelita_ made something, shall we go find out?”

Noah nodded, waiting for Rafael to stand before taking his hand and following him to the living room. He could hear the voices of his mother and grandmother. The latter was the first to notice him.

“ _Nieto_ , how are you feeling?” Lucia asked.

“I’m hungry,” Noah replied. “Dad said you probably made something.”

“I did. Why don’t we find something for you to eat and let your parents have a minute to themselves?”

“Okay,” Noah agreed, letting go of Rafael’s hand to take Lucia’s.

“Were you able to get some work done?” Olivia asked as Rafael joined her on the couch.

“Yes. Carisi and Alex have the Gregory case under control; they just wanted to fill me in. I have some case prep to do for the Nichols case, but that can wait till later, or tomorrow.”

“Have you taken Noah’s temperature lately?”

“Before we fell asleep. It went down a little. I think the medicine is helping, but I don’t know that he’s ready to go back to school tomorrow.”

“I agree. I want to keep an eye on his breathing and his temperature.”

“He’s been breathing fine, _mi vida_.”

“I know. It’s just…with all of the respiratory problems he’s had…I don’t want to take any chances.”

Rafael leaned over to kiss her softly. “I understand.”

“You always do,” Olivia replied, kissing him again.

“As much as Noah likes the attention, I don’t think all three of us need to stay with him again tomorrow.”

“I can stay home with him if you need to go into work.”

“I feel like I probably should, although I’d rather be here with Noah.”

“Maybe we could each do a half day?” Olivia suggested. “You can go into work in the morning and I’ll go in the afternoon. It’ll give us both a chance to grab anything else we might need in case Noah needs to stay home any more days.”

“That should work.”

* * *

“I think somebody is ready for another nap,” Lucia said as she entered the living room a few minutes later, a sleepy-looking Noah by her side.

“Come here, sweet boy,” Olivia said, holding out her arms for him and smiling when he climbed up into her lap. Turning to Rafael, she flashed him a teasing grin. “It’s my turn to have some Noah time.”

“Both,” Noah said sleepily, resting his head on Olivia’s chest.

“Did you put sleeping pills in his food?” Rafael teasingly asked his mother.

“No. He did eat quite a bit, though,” Lucia replied, walking over and running a hand over Noah’s curls.

“Well, at least he still has an appetite,” Olivia commented, pressing a kiss to her son’s temple.

* * *

While Olivia settled Noah on the couch with a pillow, blanket, and his trusted stuffed elephant, Rafael and Lucia chatted over coffee in the kitchen.

“Are _you_ feeling better?” Lucia asked her son.

Rafael nodded. “Yes. Thank you again for coming over, for cooking.”

“ _No es nada_.”

“It means a lot, Mami.”

“I’m surprised you called me.”

Rafael sighed, deciding to come clean with his mother. “I was scared, Mami. He’s been hospitalized in the past for respiratory issues and I felt so helpless. I felt kind of juvenile for wanting my mom here, but Liv disagreed.”

“Smart woman,” Lucia told him with a smile. “Just because you’re an adult doesn’t mean you stop wanting or needing your parents, Rafi. I can’t even tell you how many times I called your _abuelita_ because I needed her advice or simply needed someone to tell me everything was going to be okay.”

“That’s pretty much what Liv said. She told me that there has been quite a few times where she wished she had someone to call when she needed advice.”

“She knows I’m here for her, too, right?”

Rafael nodded. “She does. I think all three of us felt better having you here.”

“I’m happy to help.”

* * *

By the time the following weekend rolled around, Noah was back to his normal self. He had gone to school the last three days of the week and was working on his homework at the kitchen table while Rafael sat across from him, making notes about a case file on a nearby legal pad, gold pen in hand. Olivia had been called into work early that morning, but had called to say she was fine and was going to try and tackle some paperwork while the precinct was quiet. Rafael had taken Noah to the park that morning, but the boy had noticed something was off about his father. His mood was different. Feeling tears prick his eyes, Noah quickly shut the book he’d been reading and quickly made his way upstairs to his room.

Looking up at the sound of the book slamming shut, Rafael noticed Noah rubbing at his eyes as he turned and quickly walked away. Wondering what had upset his son, he set his pen down and abandoned the case file he’d been reading to go up to Noah’s room.

“Noah, _mijo_ , what’s wrong?” he asked as he lightly knocked on the door before opening it.

“I don’t know,” came Noah’s tearful reply.

Taking a seat on the edge of Noah’s bed, Rafael laid his hand on the boy’s shoulder. “What do you mean you don’t know?”

Noah turned to face his father. “I feel like you’re mad at me, but I don’t know why.”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“You’re in a bad mood, though.”

Rafael sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t mean to be. I just have a lot on my mind right now.”

“Like work stuff?”

“Yes. I’m trying to help someone, but things are very complicated and I’m not sure how to get other people, strangers, to believe this person.”

“I thought you put the bad guys away?”

Rafael smiled and ran a hand over Noah’s hair. “I try. I also try to help people, by putting the bad guys away. In this case, the bad guy was smarter than a lot of the others and I’m trying to figure out how to convince these strangers that this man is very, very bad.”

“I’m sure you can do it. You’re smart. Mom says you’re the best.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, _mijo_.”

Noah shifted so he could lay his head on Rafael’s leg. “Maybe you need a break?” he suggested. “You and Mom always tell me to take a break and go back to something if I can’t figure it out.”

“Okay, _mi chico inteligente_ , what do you think I should do for a break?”

“Ms. Sanchez said I should read some kids books in Spanish for practice. Will you help me?”

“ _Por supuesto, mijo_ ,” Rafael said as he reached over and pulled out the Spanish books his mother had recently purchased for Noah. “Which one would you like to read today?”

Noah considered the three books for a moment before selecting a Berenstain Bears book. Scooting over, he made more room for Rafael, who surprised him by lying down on his stomach beside him.

* * *

When she arrived home a few hours later, Olivia smiled when she saw Rafael and Noah building a new Lego set with _Toy Story 2_ playing in the background.

“Looks like you boys had a fun day,” she commented, taking a seat on the couch behind Rafael.

“Dad helped me read a whole book in Spanish,” Noah told her proudly.

“That’s great. Did you let your dad get some work done?”

Noah nodded. “We read the Spanish book on our break.”

Confused, Olivia turned to Rafael for further clarification.

“I was having trouble with a case. Noah suggested taking a break and then asked me to help him read a book in Spanish. After we did that, we put some snacks together and went back to work. Well, I went back to work. He finished his reading.”

“Did the break help?”

“It did, actually.”

“We made pizza, too! It’s not ready yet, though.”

Rafael glanced at the timer on his phone. “Five more minutes.”

“Perfect,” Olivia said, pressing a kiss to Rafael’s temple before she stood. “I’m going to change and then I’ll meet you boys in the kitchen.”

* * *

The following Wednesday, Rafael smiled when he heard the familiar sound of his son’s voice. Setting down the file he’d been looking at, he stood and accepted the hug he was always greeted with.

“Did you have a good day at school, _mijo_?” Rafael asked, taking Noah’s backpack while the boy settled himself on the couch.

“Yes. Either you or Mom have to sign my planner every night now, though.”

“Why is that?”

Noah shrugged. “Ms. Kingston’s new rule,” he said. At Rafael’s raised eyebrow, he continued. “There’s a note in my folder about it.”

“Can I see it?”

Noah nodded, taking out his folder and handing the note to his father.

“I’m not in trouble, am I?” he asked nervously once Rafael had put the note back in the folder.

“No. It’s just something she wants to try, to see if it will help some of your classmates remember their homework.”

“Oh. Okay. Will you help me with my spelling tonight?”

“After supper,” Rafael promised.

“I can stay here if I read quietly, right?” Noah checked.

“Yes. Are you hungry?”

“A little.”

Walking over to the mini fridge that Olivia had insisted he get for his office if Noah was going to be spending time there, Rafael took out some apple slices and milk.

“You should eat at the table, though, _mijo_ ,” he said to Noah as he closed the fridge.

Noah nodded, climbing up onto a chair and quickly digging into the snack. He smiled when he saw Rafael place a muffin on the table as well. “Is that a banana muffin?”

“Your mom made them last night.”

“I _knew_ I smelled them!”

Rafael laughed, ruffling Noah’s hair before taking a seat next to him and chatting with him about his school day while he ate a muffin of his own.

* * *

“I see someone is feeling better,” Sonny commented as he walked into Rafael’s office just over an hour later, finding Noah sprawled on the couch and Rafael at his desk, going over a case file.

“Hi Uncle Sonny,” Noah greeted absently, engrossed in his book.

“You sure he’s not biologically yours?” Sonny asked Rafael, eliciting a laugh from the older man.

“My mom has asked me the same question. And, yes, I’m sure. I love him just the same, though. What can I do for you, Carisi?”

“Do you have time to go over a case with me? I feel like I’m missing something, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Is tomorrow morning okay? Liv and I prefer for Noah to not be around when we discuss cases in detail …”

“That’s fine. Oh, and we won the Gregory case, by the way. Manda is giving Lu the good news now.”

Rafael smiled. “Good. I’m sure Liv will be happy to hear it. Did you and Rollins find a place yet?”

“Not yet. There’s a bigger place that just opened up in my building, so we’re going to look at it on Saturday. My parents are taking the girls for the day.”

“Uncle Sonny, do you have any more cookies?” Noah asked, interrupting the conversation and causing both men to laugh.

“Not today, bud, but I’ll talk to your Auntie Amanda about making more,” Sonny answered.

“’Kay,” Noah agreed before going back to his book.

“Eight-thirty tomorrow morning work for you?” Rafael asked, steering the conversation back to the original topic.

“Yes. I’ll see you then,” Sonny answered before turning to Noah. “Bye, buddy.”

“Bye, Uncle Sonny.”

* * *

After putting Noah to bed, Rafael walked into his and Olivia’s bedroom to find her already asleep. It had been a long few days and he knew she was exhausted. Turning the light off, he quietly slipped into bed next to her, wrapping his arms around her and pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Rafa?” Olivia asked sleepily, shifting so she could rest her hand on his arm.

“Go back to sleep, _mi vida_.”

“Mm. Love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Noah go to sleep okay?”

“He was out half-way through the first story.”

Olivia smiled. “How long did you watch him sleep for?”

Rafael chuckled, pressing another kiss to her temple. She knew him well. “Just a few minutes. Now go back to sleep. It’s been a long few days for you and you need to rest.”

“You always take such good care of me and our boy.”

“I try.”

Olivia turned, nuzzling closer to her husband. “I mean it, Rafa. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“I don’t even want to think about life without you,” Rafael replied, giving her a soft kiss, “or without Noah.”

“So let’s not. Our son has requested a family day on Saturday and I’m off work that day, so I was thinking about indulging him.”

“Sounds perfect.”

* * *

The following Saturday, Olivia walked into the living room after her bath to find Noah placing note cards with Spanish words written on them on various objects. Rafael was saying the word on the card before handing it to Noah, who would then place it on the object he thought matched the word. She was started out of her thoughts by Noah sticking a card to her shirt. Looking down, she saw him grinning at her.

“ _Madre_ ,” Noah said proudly. “Dad is wearing the one that says _padre_.”

“Where’s your card?”

“My card?”

“Yes. If I’m _madre_ and your dad is _padre_ , what does that make you?”

“ _Hijo_ ,” Rafael answered, sticking the card to Noah’s shirt as he joined them.

“Am I allowed to join in the game?”

“Sure,” Noah answered, smiling as Rafael handed her half of the remaining cards.

“Go ahead, Liv,” Rafael told her.

“ _Sofá_ ,” she said, handing the card to Noah.

* * *

Later that afternoon, as she walked into the living room of her son’s home, Lucia smiled as she noticed the remnants of the game he, Olivia, and Noah had been playing earlier.

“Spanish lessons?” she asked.

Rafael smiled. “Yes. I took your advice and made today’s lesson more interactive.”

“How did _mi nieto_ do?”

“Almost perfect. He wanted to know if that earned him _arroz con leche_ for dessert.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that’s what I’m going to make, then.”

“¡ _Abuelita_!” Noah’s excited shout interrupted anything else either adult was going to say.

Bending, Lucia accepted her grandson’s hug. “I heard your Spanish lessons went well.”

Noah nodded. “Dad said I did really well.”

“You can tell me all about it while we prepare the _arroz con leche_ ,” Lucia said as she stood. “Where’s your mami?”

“Uncle Fin called; she went to Dad’s office.”

“Will she have to go into work today?” Lucia asked, directing her question at Rafael.

“It didn’t sound like it,” he answered. “I think he just had a question about how she wanted to handle something.”

* * *

“Everything okay?” Rafael asked when Olivia joined them in the kitchen a few minutes later.

“Yes. Fin was just filling me in. He thought I’d want to know about this case. He and Amanda have it under control. Kat said she’d be willing to come in, too, if she’s needed,” she answered.

“Mami and Noah are making _medianoche_ for lunch and _arroz con leche_ for dessert.”

“Sounds delicious.”

* * *

Later that night, as he and Olivia were preparing the ice cream they were surprising Noah with, Rafael looked at the chocolate syrup that was supposed to go on top of it and got an idea. Squirting a dab of it onto his finger, he reached over and tapped the end of Olivia’s nose.

“I can’t believe you just did that!” she exclaimed as he laughed, reaching for the syrup bottle.

“I don’t think so, _mi vida_ ,” Rafael said, trying and failing to keep his laughter at bay as he held the bottle away from his wife.

“Oh, I beg to differ, _mi amor_ ,” Olivia said, laughing as she reached for the bottle. Knowing Rafael wasn’t going to just give it to her, she moved close, rubbing her nose against his cheek.

Laughing, Rafael set the bottle down behind him and wrapped his arms around Olivia, keeping her close as he attempted to distract her with a kiss.

“Mm. That’s not fair,” Olivia said, wrapping her arms around his neck and deepening the kiss.

Rafael smiled against her lips. “Are you saying I don’t play fair?”

“Yes, but I’m not complaining this time.”

Before either could say or do anything else, they heard Noah calling for them from the living room. Wiping off their faces, they quickly finished getting the ice cream ready and then joined their son.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, my apologies for taking so long to update this. I've been kind of stuck as to where I wanted to take it. 
> 
> That being said, I owe a big thanks to thousand_miles for giving me some suggestions/being my sounding board for this story. 
> 
> Someone on Tumblr mentioned they wanted to see Amanda yell at Stabler, but I can't remember where I saw it/who said it. But that inspired part of this chapter.
> 
> More Rollisi this chapter, but still mostly Barson/Barsonoah. 
> 
> If you want to chat with me/follow me on Tumblr or Twitter, I'm blk0912 on both of those as well. 
> 
> I speak no Italian, only understand the words that are similar to their Spanish or English counterparts, so if something is wrong, I blame Google Translate (but please also let me know so I can fix it)

* * *

Walking into Rafael’s office, Sonny was only slightly surprised to see Olivia there as well.

“Hey, Lu, didn’t expect to see you here,” he greeted.

“Rafa said you wanted to over a case, so I thought I’d hang out and see if I could be of any help,” Olivia replied as she hugged her friend.

“Don’t you usually take Noah to school on Thursdays?”

“Lucia and I switched days this week. She had an early meeting on Monday, so she volunteered to take him today instead.”

Sonny nodded. “Okay, then I guess let’s get started.”

* * *

As they were finishing reviewing the case, Alex had shown up and asked Rafael for his help with something. Assuring him that she and Sonny would be fine, Olivia waited for him to leave before turning to her former detective.

“So are you going to tell me what’s really bothering you or are we going to continue wasting time talking about a case that’s a done deal?” she asked.

Sonny turned to her in surprise.

“Why are you still so insecure about how you’re doing as an ADA?” Olivia continued when Sonny didn’t speak.

Sonny sighed and shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. Hadid never really seemed to believe in me, and then McCoy didn’t seem to either, and it was just kind of like well why hire me then, you know?”

Olivia nodded in understanding. “You know Rafael and I believe in you, right? And Amanda and Fin? Even Kat, though she seems to like giving you a hard time. Alex, too. McCoy can be an ass, and trust me, there have been plenty of times, past and present, when his lack of belief in him stressed Rafa out. I often felt the same way with Dodds. But all that matters is fighting to get justice for the victims. You did it as a detective, and now you’re doing it as an ADA.”

Sonny smiled at her. “I appreciate the vote of confidence.”

“ _Ecco a cosa servono gli amici, vero_?”

Sonny looked momentarily surprised before he remembered Olivia could speak multiple languages. “ _Solo il meglio_ ,” he replied with a nod.

* * *

A few nights later, as she was attempting to get Noah ready for bed, Olivia sighed when he refused every book selection she suggested.

“I want Dad to read to me,” he said, crossing his arms.

Olivia sighed. “Your dad had to go to a conference upstate for a few days, remember? We talked about this.”

“I know,” Noah admitted. “I just miss him.”

Olivia sat next to her son on the bed and hugged him close. “I know, sweet boy, I miss him, too. But he’ll be home in a couple of days and then we’ll have all weekend with him.”

“Can we call him? He said we could at night.”

Olivia reached for the tablet that she had brought with her. She had already arranged with Rafael for them to video chat with him before Noah went to bed.

“I have a better idea,” she said, pressing the button that would connect her with her husband.

* * *

Sitting in his hotel room, Rafael took another drink of his scotch before continuing to take notes on the case for an upcoming trial. He had music playing on his laptop as he scribbled on a nearby legal pad. He hadn’t even realized what time it was until he heard the sound indicating he had an incoming video call. Dropping his pen onto the pad, he quickly paused the music and then accepted the call, smiling when he saw the faces of his wife and son fill the screen.

“Dad!” Noah said excitedly.

“ _Mijo_ ,” Rafael replied with a smile. “How was school today?”

“Good! Miss Sanchez said I’m making really good progress with my Spanish, but she wants me to work on my pronunciation and I’m supposed to talk in Spanish for ten minutes each night for the next two weeks. Mom helped me tonight, and _Abuelita_ is coming over tomorrow. Will you help me this weekend?”

“Of course.”

After a few more minutes of talking, Noah was beginning to feel sleepy.

“Go to bed, _mijo_ ,” Rafael told him. “We’ll talk again tomorrow night.”

“Okay,” Noah agreed. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

* * *

After putting Noah to bed, Olivia took the tablet to her and Rafael’s bedroom to call him back.

“ _Hola mi hermosa esposa_ ,” Rafael greeted.

Olivia smiled. “ _Hola mi guapo esposo_ ,” she replied.

“Noah go to sleep okay?”

“After he talked to you, he did.”

“He put up a fight?”

“Not exactly, but he was kind of cranky. He wanted you to read to him.”

“Maybe we spoiled him a little too much when he was sick?”

Olivia shook her head. “No, I don’t think it’s that. This is just the first time you’ve been gone for any length of time since you came back and I think it was making him a little anxious.”

Rafael frowned. “I’m coming back.”

“We know that, Rafa,” Olivia assured him. “It’s just like…like the first few times I let Noah out of my sight after Sheila took him. I _knew_ he’d be back, I _knew_ he was fine, but I still had a little bit of separation anxiety.”

“I should be back in time to pick him up from school on Friday. It just kind of depends on what time the last meeting in the morning goes until.”

“Lucy is planning on picking him up, but I can let her know that you might be home in time to do it yourself and you’ll let her know either way.”

“Sounds like a plan.”

Olivia yawned, making Rafael chuckle. “Go to sleep, _mi vida_. I love you.”

“You should get some sleep, too, _mi amor_. But I love you, too.”

* * *

As he walked out of school on Friday, Noah looked around for Lucy or his mom and frowned when he didn’t see either of them. When he spotted his father, he grinned and immediately broke out into a run.

“Dad!” he said, wrapping his arms tightly around Rafael’s waist. Pulling back, he looked up at him with a confused expression. “I thought you weren’t going to be home until tonight?”

“My meeting let out early, so I was able to make it back in time to pick you up. I told Mom not to say anything in case I couldn’t make it.”

“Can we go get Mom from work?” Noah asked, releasing his father’s waist.

“Sure,” Rafael agreed, grabbing one of Noah’s hands. “Let’s go, _mijo_.”

Noah smiled, holding tightly to his father’s hand. As they walked, he filled him in on his day and they made plans for what to do during their family weekend. Olivia had the weekend off and they wanted to take full advantage of it.

* * *

Walking into his old precinct, Elliott only recognized one of the detectives sitting in the squad room and that was Fin. He thought he had seen Olivia outside earlier, when he’d been catching up with some old friends, but the woman had answered her phone “Barba” and not “Benson” so he decided he must have been mistaken.

“Can I help you?” he heard a blonde with a slight southern accent ask.

“I’m looking for Olivia Benson.”

“Well, she’s not Benson anymore, but she’s busy. What do you need her for?”

“Huh?”

“Liv got married, took her husband’s name,” Fin explained. “What are you doing here, Stabler?”

“My niece is here? Nicole Thomas? She was raped last night at a party…my sister called, asked me to check on her. She and my brother-in-law are out of town.”

“Well, Liv isn’t handling the case anyway. I am. She’s about to leave for the weekend. Spend some time with her family.”

Elliott looked over and saw Olivia leaving her office with two people he didn’t recognize. She and the man paused outside her door and he bent to whisper something that made her laugh. The little boy in front of them was tugging on their hands.

“Come _on_!” Elliott heard him say. “Dad promised we could get pizza and ice cream! And I’m _starving_ , Mom!”

The man laughed, reaching out and ruffling the boy’s curly hair. “It can’t be that bad already, can it, _mijo_?”

“It _can_!”

“Okay, okay, we’re going!” Olivia said with a laugh, taking his hand as the man slid an arm around her waist.

* * *

Walking out of her office with Rafael and Noah, Olivia stopped in her tracks when she saw Elliott.

“Liv?” Rafael asked, wondering why his wife had stopped walking.

“I think I might be hallucinating,” Olivia answered.

Following Olivia’s line of sight, Rafael saw her looking at a man that he’d only seen in pictures. Elliott Stabler. Her old partner.

“Go home, Liv,” Fin said. “I’ve got everything taken care of.”

“You’re married?” Elliott asked her, stepping closer.

“Yes,” Olivia replied. “This is my husband, Rafael, and our son, Noah. Rafa, Noah, this is my old partner, Elliott Stabler.”

“It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” Rafael said cordially, holding out his free hand to shake Elliott’s.

Elliott finally put two and two together. It _was_ Olivia he’d seen outside. Rafael Barba was the man she had married and whose name she had taken.

“A lawyer, Olivia?” he asked.

Olivia simply smiled and shrugged. “He’s the best,” she said simply. “If you’ll excuse me, I have the weekend off, and my family and I have plans.”

* * *

Watching Olivia leave, Elliott saw she had tucked the hand not holding her son’s into her husband’s pack pocket and said something that made him laugh and press a kiss to her temple.

“Leave her alone,” Amanda told him. “She’s happy. Happier than I’ve ever seen her.”

“You’ve been gone a long time, Stabler,” Fin added. “A lot has changed.”

Elliott opened his mouth to speak, but Amanda wasn’t done talking.

“You left without so much as a _goodbye_ ,” she reminded him, poking a finger into his chest as she spoke. “She was your _partner_ for _thirteen years_ and she had to find out second-hand that you weren’t coming back. How do you think that made _her_ feel?! Do you think she wouldn’t take it _personally_?!”

“You didn’t even know her back then,” Elliott replied, but his response only made the blonde detective even madder.

“She’s my _friend_ , one of my closest friends, in fact. She’s been there for me through all the fucked up lows and exciting highs that life has to offer me. She _told me_ how hurt she was when you left! How she had to find out from Cragen that you weren’t coming back! You didn’t even have the courage to tell her yourself. Not even a phone call. That’s _fucked up_ , man. If you even so much as _think_ about trying to come between her and Barba, I will personally hunt you down and kill you myself,” Amanda said, turning on her heel and storming out of the room once she’d finished speaking.

“Go make sure she doesn’t actually harm anyone. Please,” Fin said to the other detective Elliott didn’t recognize.

“Sure thing, Sergeant,” she replied, taking off in the direction the older blonde had just gone.

“ _Sergeant_?” Elliott repeated.

“I told you-a lot has changed,” Fin responded. “You hurt Liv when you left, Stabler. You hurt us all, but her especially. Barba is a good guy and he treats her well. He and Liv haven’t had the smoothest road, but they’re in a really good place now.”

“I never expected her to end up with a lawyer.”

Fin smiled as he thought of his friends. “I don’t think she did, either, but they just _connected_ and that was that. He’s her best friend, her _true_ partner.”

Elliott nodded, deciding to change the subject. “Can I see Nicole now?”

“Sure, I’ll take ya to her.”

* * *

“You sure you’re okay?” Rafael checked, carding his fingers through his wife’s hair as she rested her head on his shoulder. Noah had gone to bed nearly a half an hour earlier and they’d been sitting like this ever since.

Olivia curled further into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist. “I’m fine, Rafa, I promise.”

“You didn’t seem fine at the precinct.”

“Seeing Elliott was a surprise, but I’ve been over whatever I felt for him for a long time. I’ve barely thought about him since a certain green-eyed, smart-mouthed lawyer with a heart of gold swaggered into my life eight years ago.”

Rafael chuckled, turning his head to press a kiss to the top of hers. “I’ll never forget the day we met.”

Olivia laughed, tipping her face up for a kiss. “I still can’t believe you said what you did.”

Rafael kissed her again, longer this time. “Me, neither. I wasn’t planning on it, honestly. But I might have been distracted by this beautiful brunette detective and my mouth got ahead of my brain.”

“Really?”

“Yes. I thought you were beautiful from the moment I first laid eyes on you. I didn’t know what it was at the time, but something about you intrigued me and we hadn’t even been introduced yet.”

“You never told me that.”

“I thought you knew.”

Olivia smiled, leaning over for another kiss. She’d never tire of kissing him or looking into his beautiful green eyes. “You intrigued me from the start,” she admitted.

“I did?”

“Well, maybe irritated at your smart-ass question, but then definitely intrigued. You’ve always been my favorite subject.”

Rafael laughed. “I’m not sure what’s worse-our first meeting or you meeting my mom outside the courtroom a couple of years later.”

Olivia smiled at the memory. “They’ll make interesting stories to tell Noah when he’s older.”

“That’s true.”

* * *

“Heard you had quite the encounter today,” Sonny remarked as he and Amanda curled together on the couch after putting the girls to bed.

“I met Stabler,” Amanda replied. “I didn’t like him.”

“Because of what he did to Lu?”

“Mostly. But something about him just rubbed me the wrong way.”

“Heard you threatened him.”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “I doubt he took me seriously. Well, the part about hunting him down anyway. I just didn’t want him to try and get between Liv and Rafael. They’re our friends, Sonny, and they’re really happy together. It would break my heart to see anyone try to come between them.”

“I don’t think you have to worry about that, Manda. Lu and Rafael, they have an unbreakable bond.”

“Do we?”

“I’m not quite as confident in myself as Rafael is in himself, but I think you and I bonded in our own way.”

“I know you were nervous when Nick showed up at their party.”

Sonny sighed, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I was,” he admitted. “I told you-I’m not as confident in myself as Rafael is in himself.”

Amanda moved further into Sonny’s embrace. “I didn’t love Nick. He was good to me and we had fun together, but I didn’t love him.”

“I could never love anyone the way I love you and the girls.”

“Good. Because you’re stuck with us. Especially considering we just signed a lease on a new place.”

Sonny chuckled, tightening his arms around her. “I’m looking forward to having a place that’s _ours_ from the beginning.”

“Me, too.”

Feeling her tense, Sonny looked down and noticed the slight frown on her face.

“Manda, _amore mio_ , what’s wrong?”

Amanda smiled a little at the term of endearment. Clearly he’d been spending more time with Rafael, who often called Olivia _mi vida, mi amor,_ or _mi alma_. Although she had heard his father call his mother _cara_ quite a few times as well. Regardless, she liked it.

“Billie asked me tonight why _Papá_ wasn’t putting her to bed,” she confessed.

“Manda…”

“I know we haven’t really talked about this, but I know you love them and you’re always there for them…and they already think of your parents as their grandparents. I heard Jesse talking to Billie about _Nonna_ Gia’s _cannolis_. She’s been calling you _Papá_ when talking about you and I think that must be where Billie heard it.”

“I love you and those girls more than _anything_. If it’s okay with you, I’d really like to tell them they can call me _Papá_. In fact, I’d like us all to be a family…properly…”

Amanda looked up Sonny in surprise and he chuckled.

“Okay, not exactly the romantic speech I’d planned, but I have something for you,” he told her.

“Okay…” Amanda replied, watching as Sonny walked into their bedroom and then came out a few moments later holding something in his hand.

Walking over to where Amanda was still sitting, Sonny took a deep breath before dropping to one knee in front of her and opening the small box he had been holding. 

“Manda, _Ti amo._ I love you. _Vuoi sposarmi_? Will you marry me, and let me adopt Jesse and Billie?”

“ _Sí_. Yes. To both,” Amanda answered, not caring that she currently had tears running down her face.

Taking the ring out of the box, Sonny slid it onto her finger and then leaned up to kiss her. “It was my _Nonna_ Gabbi’s ring. My mom’s grandma.”

“It’s perfect. I love it. I love you.”

* * *

As he was reviewing his notes for the trial that was set to start in a couple of hours, Rafael looked up at the sound of a knock at his door.

“Got a minute?” Sonny asked.

Sensing the younger man’s nervousness, he nodded. “Sure. I’m guessing this isn’t about a case?”

Sonny shook his head as he shut the door.

“Who helped you with your adoption of Noah?” he asked as he took a seat in front of Rafael’s desk.

“Rita Calhoun.”

“Do you think she’d be willing to help me adopt Jesse and Billie?”

“I don’t see why not. I can call her and ask.”

“If you don’t mind.”

Rafael picked up his phone and searched for Rita’s number. “I take you proposed then?”

Sonny nodded. “Friday night.”

“Congratulations,” Rafael replied with a smile as he raised the phone to his ear and waited for Rita to answer.

* * *

Trying to determine which paperwork to start on first, Rita was surprised to see her friend’s name on her cell phone display.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in court soon?” she asked as she answered, leaning back in her chair.

Rafael chuckled. “Not for another couple of hours. Plenty of time for me to call and bother you.”

Rita smiled. “Very funny. What can I do for you, Rafael?”

“I need a favor for a friend.”

“What kind of favor?”

“You remember Sonny Carisi and Amanda Rollins?”

Rita thought back to her various cases with SVU and to the party she had recently attended for Rafael and Olivia. “Sort of. Why do you ask?”

“They’re the ones who need the favor. Well, more specifically, Sonny does.”

“Don’t tell me you’re letting your ADAs run wild and he needs a good defense attorney.”

Rafael laughed. “No. Nothing like that.”

“She has two kids, right? Amanda.”

“Yes.”

“This favor has to do with them?”

“It does.”

Rita quickly pulled up her calendar. “I have time this afternoon around one if he can make it.”

After conferring with Sonny, Rafael replied. “He’ll be there. Thanks, Rita.”

“You owe me, Rafael.”

“Okay. I won’t tell Liv that you and Fin have been seeing each other since the night of our party.”

Rita opened and shut her mouth, frowning when she heard Rafael laughing.

“You’re insufferable.”

“Yet you’re still my friend.”

“Sometimes I wonder why,” Rita grumbled.

“No, you don’t. But I’ll let you think that. Sonny will be there at one. Thanks again.”

Sighing, Rita hung up with her friend, still trying to figure out how he knew about her and Fin. As Noah liked to say, his dad knows lots of things. Bringing up her text messages, she quickly typed one out and hit send before setting her phone back down and getting to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if canon ever mentions siblings for Stabler, but for the purpose of this story, he has a sister. I don't have any plans to include him in future chapters, though. He's not exactly my favorite character.
> 
> Translations:  
> Italian:  
> Ecco a cosa servono gli amici, vero?-that's what friends are for, right?  
> Solo il meglio-only the best  
> amore mio- my love  
> cara- dear  
> Nonna- grandma  
> Ti amo- I love you  
> Vuoi sposarmi?- Will you marry me?
> 
> Spanish:  
> Hola mi hermosa esposa - hello my beautiful wife  
> Hola mi guapo esposo - hello my handsome husband  
> mi amor-my love  
> mi vida-my life  
> mi alma-my soul  
> mijo- my son (term of endearment)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm updating this a day later than I had originally aimed for, but I got stuck on an idea and ended up re-writing part of this chapter twice. Special thanks to motherofbear3 for helping me through it. 
> 
> As usual, most of my Spanish comes from Google translate, so if it's wrong, please let me know and I'll fix it.
> 
> Hope you all enjoy! :)

* * *

“I want to go to Dad’s office,” Noah complained as he sat on the couch in his mother’s office.

“Your dad has court today, he’s not going to be in his office,” Olivia replied. “Lucy is sick, so I’m afraid you’re stuck here for the time being.”

Noah sighed as he took out his book and began reading. He loved his mom and enjoyed spending time with her, but his dad had been out of town and then busy preparing for a trial. Thinking back to the other day when they had come to the precinct together to pick up Olivia, he remembered a strange man that his mom and Uncle Fin seemed to know.

“Who was that man that we saw the other day?”

Olivia looked up from her paperwork. “My old partner. I haven’t seen him in a long time.”

“Why was he here?”

“He needed to pick up his niece. She needed our help and she called her uncle because she didn’t want to go home alone and her parents were out of town.”

“Oh.”

Olivia set her paperwork down on her desk and then walked over to take a seat next to Noah on the couch. “Noah, sweet boy, what’s this all about?”

“You didn’t look happy to see him and he didn’t look happy at the way Dad had his arm around you.”

“I wasn’t happy to see him. I haven’t seen him for a very long time and didn’t think I ever would again. When he was my partner, he was…overprotective…”

“He doesn’t even know Dad, though.”

“Honey, I love your dad very much. There is no one else I would rather be with, or be your dad. The man that was here the other day is someone that hurt me very badly and isn’t someone I ever wanted, or thought I would, see again.”

“But you were hurt when Dad left…”

Olivia sighed. “Yes, but your dad came back and apologized. He explained why he felt he needed to do what he did and we were able to save our friendship. He’s always going to be my best friend. Then when he came back to New York for good, we were able to admit to each other that we loved each other and wanted to be together. Now the three of us are a family and there is nothing that makes me happier than spending time with the two of you.”

Noah nodded. “I like movie nights.”

“Me, too,” Olivia said and then pressed a kiss to the top of her son’s head. “I have Sunday off of work, so let’s talk to your dad tonight about having movie night then.”

“Yeah!”

“I need to get some work done and you have homework to do. The sooner I get back to it, the sooner we can leave. We’re supposed to meet _Abuelita_ at home in a couple of hours.”

“ _Abuelita_ is coming over tonight?” Noah asked excitedly.

Olivia laughed, ruffling her son’s hair as she stood. “Yes. She called earlier and volunteered to make dinner, since she knows how busy your dad and I have been lately. You two can practice your Spanish together, too.”

“But what if I’m hungry _now_?”

Olivia laughed again, walking over to her desk and reaching into her bottom drawer. Taking out a pack of Goldfish crackers, she handed them to her son. “This should tide you over. You don’t want to be too full before dinner. Especially when _Abuelita_ is cooking.”

* * *

As she was walking back to her office after a meeting, Lucia heard her name being called.

“Miss Lucia!”

Turning, Lucia felt little arms wrap around her waist in a tight hug. When she looked down, she saw a head full of long light brown hair.

“Miranda,” she said with a smile. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again so soon.”

The little girl’s shoulders sagged as she sighed. “They didn’t want me, either.”

Lucia bent to pull the little girl into a hug. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart.”

“Miss Farrah says they just weren’t the right family for me.”

“She’s right.”

“Miss Lucia, why doesn’t anyone want me?”

Lucia’s heart broke for the little girl. She’d been orphaned at six months and had been bounced around between the orphanage and foster homes ever since. At five years old, she had been in and out of the pre-school program at St. Theresa’s since the previous year as that’s where the children from the orphanage were educated. She was a bright little girl who, in Lucia’s opinion, deserved only the best.

“I’m sure there’s a family out there that’s perfect for you, we just have to be _paciente_ , _sí_?”

Miranda sighed, but nodded. “ _Sí_.”

“Good girl,” Lucia said as she stood and held out her hand. “Now, let’s get you back to class, hmm?”

“I didn’t run off,” Miranda insisted as they began to walk. “Miss Tara said I could say hi to you.”

“We should still get you back to class. You don’t want to miss anything important.”

“Okay.”

Walking with the little girl, Lucia thought about her son and daughter-in-law. She thought they would be the perfect parents for Miranda and the girl would make a good sister for Noah, and made a mental note to brush up on the benefits of siblings before she went to their house for dinner.

* * *

After making dinner and helping Noah practice his Spanish, Lucia set the food on the table and went in search of her son and daughter-in-law. They were sitting together on the couch, with Olivia curled into Rafael’s side and his arm around her shoulders, talking softly.

“Dinner is ready,” she announced after snapping a quick picture of the two of them.

Even though they had untangled themselves from each other, neither wanted to be too far from the other, so when Rafael reached for Olivia’s hand, she happily laced their fingers together.

 _‘Yes,’_ Lucia thought with a smile. _‘This is the kind of loving family Miranda could benefit from’_

* * *

“What were you smiling about earlier, Mami?” Rafael asked once the food had been served and everyone had begun to eat.

“I was just thinking about how Noah could use a sibling. There are many health benefits to having one, you know. I always wanted a sibling for you, Rafi, but it just wasn’t meant to be.”

Rafael nearly choked on his food.

“You okay, Rafa?” Olivia asked, though she was just as shocked as him by Lucia’s statement.

Rafael nodded and then took a drink of his water. “Fine. Mami just surprised me.”

“I think I’d like a sister,” Noah said softly.

“You’ve been thinking about this?” Olivia asked him.

Noah shrugged. “Some of the kids at school have brothers or sisters, sometimes both. It would be kind of nice to always have someone to play with.”

“Mami, Liv and I aren’t really looking to adopt another child,” Rafael insisted.

“Well, maybe you _should_ , _mijo_. I’d love to have another grandchild.”

Olivia bit back a laugh as Rafael rolled his eyes.

“Mami…”

“You and Olivia are such good parents to _mi nieto_. I just think that maybe there’s another child out there who could benefit from that same love. There’s been research on the benefits of siblings.”

“Of course you did research,” Rafael muttered, causing Olivia to bite back a laugh. Lucia and Rafael were so much alike she often found amusement in it.

“Rafi, I’m just asking you to _think_ about it. You heard your son-he said he’d like a sister.”

“He said he _thinks_ he’d like a sister. This is something that Liv, Noah, and I need to discuss together. The _three_ of us.”

Lucia put on her best hurt expression. “Of course, _mijo_. I wasn’t suggesting you make a decision right this instant.”

Rafael sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow at his mother. “I beg to differ.”

“I’d like to hear about this research,” Olivia said, ignoring Rafael’s surely either annoyed or shocked expression. “Rafa, your mom clearly went through the trouble of researching this, I just think we should hear her out. Isn’t that what you tell Noah?”

“Can I go play with my Lego?” Noah asked, looking between his parents. He really didn’t want to be part of this discussion anymore.

“If your homework is done, then, yes, you can go play with your Lego,” Rafael answered.

“What if it’s not all done?”

“What do you have left?”

“Spelling.”

“Go play with your Lego for now and I’ll help you with your spelling in a little while.”

Noah nodded and quickly left the room. Once the boy was out of earshot, Rafael turned back to his mother. “Well, Mami, now’s the time for you to make your case.”

Lucia rolled her eyes at her son. “You make it sound like we’re in a courtroom, not at your kitchen table.”

Rafael said nothing, simply raised an eyebrow at his mother. Lucia shot her son an annoyed look before turning to her daughter-in-law and softening her expression.

“You wanted to hear about the research, _mija_?” she checked.

“Yes. I’m sure Rafa would, too, even though he’s pretending he doesn’t.”

As he listened to his mother, Rafael had to admit she had a point. What he’d said about him and Olivia not looking to adopt another child was true, too, but that didn’t mean the thought had never crossed his mind.

* * *

“So, what did you think about what your mom said?” Olivia asked as she and Rafael lay together in their bed.

“I don’t know. A few years ago, I wasn’t sure I even wanted to _be_ a father,” Rafael answered.

“You’re a great dad, Rafa. I know you were apprehensive about it, considering your own father wasn’t a good man, but _you’re not him_.”

“I know. I love being Noah’s dad, but while I admit that the thought of adopting another child with you is one I’ve had, I’m still not sure about it.”

Olivia ran a hand through his hair. “You’ve thought about adopting another kid with me?”

Rafael leaned over to brush his lips with hers. “Of course, _mi vida_. But only with you. And I’m still not sure about it.”

“Could we maybe, at least, _think_ about it?”

“Liv, if you want to adopt another child, all you have to do is say the word and I’m in.”

“But you just said…”

“I want to make you happy.”

“You do.”

Rafael reached for Olivia’s hand and laced their fingers together. “If we find another child that we want to adopt, then that’s what we’ll do. I don’t think we need to be actively searching for one, though.”

“Oh.”

“I just mean I think if we’re meant to have another child, he or she will find us…or we’ll find each other.”

Olivia eyed him skeptically. “Since when do you believe in fate?”

“Since it brought us back together.”

“Rafa…”

“I thought I’d lost my chance with that stupid speech and not telling you how I really felt. But then you forgave me and let me back into your life, into Noah’s life. I won’t ever be a judge like my _abuelita_ and I used to dream, but I like my job and I love being a family with you and Noah.”

“We both love you so much.”

Noticing the tears in Olivia’s eyes, Rafael released her hand to reach over and brush the hair back from her face. Leaning over, he captured her lips with his in a deep kiss, determined to show her how much he loved her and how grateful he was that she gave him another chance.

* * *

The following Saturday, Rafael and Olivia tried to keep a very excited Noah in check as they approached Lucia’s school. They were having a carnival today. There were no rides, but there were various games spread around the parking lot and the park across the street. Tickets could be purchased in order to participate in the games, with the funds going to buy things for the school. Noah was excited to see a bunch of other kids his own age and to see Lucia.

“Where’s _Abuelita_?” Noah asked his father.

Rafael searched the crowd for his mother. He didn’t see her, but he had a feeling he knew where she’d be. “I’m not sure, _mijo_. I think I have an idea, though. We need to get some tickets before you can do anything anyway.”

Noah nodded, holding tightly to his father’s hand.

* * *

“ _Mijo!_ ” Lucia said with a smile when she spotted her son and his family.

“ _Hola_ , Mami,” Rafael greeted, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“ _Hola, Abuelita_ ,” Noah said, grinning when Lucia complimented his pronunciation.

“Miss Lucia! I’m out of tickets!” a new voice exclaimed, running up to the older woman.

“Already?” Lucia asked with a laugh, reaching out to run a hand over the little girl’s hair.

“ _Sí_ ,” the little girl said with a dramatic sigh before holding up a teddy bear with a purple ribbon around its neck. “I named her Lovey!”

“Did you win her?”

The little girl nodded. “That’s how I ran out of tickets,” she explained.

Lucia laughed and then realized she was getting confused looks from her family. “Miranda, sweetheart, can you say hi to our newest guests?”

Miranda looked at the three of them before turning back to Rafael. “You’re Miss Lucia’s son?”

Rafael nodded. “I am. How did you know?”

“Your eyes are like hers…just a different color. What’s your name?”

“Rafael. And this is my wife, Olivia, and our son, Noah.”

Miranda nodded, briefly glancing over at Olivia and Noah before turning back to Rafael. “Will you play a game with me?”

“Um, sure. We need to get tickets first, though.”

Noah grabbed Rafael’s hand and pointed to a nearby booth. “They’re selling tickets there, Dad.”

“Good eye, _mijo_.”

* * *

While Noah and Rafael went to get tickets, Miranda stayed with Olivia and Lucia.

“So, Miranda, how old are you?” Olivia asked, kneeling down to the little girl’s level.

“I’m five,” Miranda answered, brushing hair out of her eyes.

“Here, why don’t we put your hair in a ponytail, it’ll keep it out of your eyes.”

“I don’t know how.”

“I do.”

“I don’t have a ponytail holder.”

“I have an extra one.”

“Okay,” Miranda agreed, turning around so Olivia could put her hair up.

“There,” Olivia said when she’d finished securing the ponytail. “Much better, right?”

Miranda smiled and nodded. “Thank you.”

Olivia returned her smile. “You’re welcome.”

“Will you play games with me, too? And Noah?”

“Sure.”

“We got the tickets, Mom!” Noah exclaimed as he and Rafael returned.

Olivia eyed the large amount of tickets her husband was holding. “Did you buy out the stand?” she teased.

“Just about, I think,” Rafael answered, eliciting a giggle from Noah.

“No, Mom, there’s lots left!” he said.

Rafael gave the tickets to Olivia before taking a hand of Noah’s and holding out his other one to Miranda. “Shall we go play some games, _niños_?”

“Why don’t I hold onto Lovey while you play some more games,” Lucia suggested, gently trying to take the bear from Miranda.

“No. I want to keep her with me.”

Bending down to Miranda’s level again, Olivia laid a hand on her arm. “We don’t want Lovey to get lost or get dirty. I think she’s seen a lot of excitement already today and could probably use a nap. Do you think you could leave her with Lucia so she can rest?”

Miranda considered Olivia’s words and then reluctantly handed her bear to Lucia.

“I’ll keep her safe, I promise,” Lucia told her.

Miranda nodded as Olivia stood.

“Come on, Liv, let’s go before Noah tears my arm off,” Rafael said.

“We had to make sure Lovey would be safe,” Olivia replied. “Right, Miranda?”

“Right!”

“Come _on,_ let’s _go_!” Noah insisted, reaching for his mother’s hand.

“Okay, okay, we’re going,” Olivia said with a laugh as she let him lead her where he wanted to go.

Watching the four of them walk away, Lucia smiled to herself. She had been trying to think of a way to introduce Rafael and Olivia to Miranda, but the little girl had done it for her. They looked like a family and she was hopeful that they all soon would be.

* * *

As they approached a game involving shooting at targets, Rafael turned to his wife. “I think this one is all yours, Liv.”

“Then you have to hold the tickets,” Olivia replied, holding them out to him.

Rafael nodded, taking the tickets.

“My mom is really good at these games,” Noah said to Miranda.

“Will she win the big stuffed animal?” Miranda asked.

“Probably.”

Miranda nodded, watching Olivia hit all the targets, easily winning both rounds.

“Which prizes?” the booth operator asked.

“The kids can each pick one,” Olivia answered, putting a hand on the back of each Noah and Miranda to bring them forward.

“I can pick one?” Miranda checked.

“Sure. Maybe Lovey could use a friend?”

Miranda nodded, turning her attention to the row of prizes.

“I want the penguin,” Noah decided.

“Which one do you want, kid?” the booth operator said to Miranda.

“I don’t know.”

“Well, you need to pick one.”

“Are you having trouble choosing?” Rafael asked Miranda, ignoring the booth operator.

Miranda nodded, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

“Hey, hey, don’t cry,” Rafael said, kneeling down to her level to gather her close. “Just tell me which ones you’re thinking about.”

“The bunny and the kitty.”

“How much for both?” Rafael asked the booth operator.

“Prizes aren’t for sale. You have to win them.”

“Rafa, give me two more tickets,” Olivia said, holding out her hand.

Rafael did as she asked, wondering what she was doing.

“Two more rounds,” she said to the booth operator before promptly picking up the gun and shooting all the targets again.

“We’ll take the bunny, the kitty, and…what other one did you want, Noah?”

Noah looked at the prizes. “The puppy.”

The booth operator nodded, handing the three prizes over.

“That was so cool, Mom!” Noah exclaimed.

Olivia smiled at him. “Thank you, sweet boy.”

“Thank you, Miss Olivia.” Miranda said, hugging both prizes tightly, her eyes glowing with happiness.

“You can call me Liv. But you’re welcome.”

“Where to next?” Rafael asked, looking between the two kids.

Noah looked around. “How about the duck game?”

“Yes! Ducks!” Miranda exclaimed.

“Ducks it is, then,” Rafael said with a laugh before leading the other three over to the game.

* * *

At the end of the day, Rafael’s arms were full of stuffed animals, cotton candy, and various other prizes. Olivia had an armful of prizes as well, while the kids each held a prize from the shooting game booth.

“It looks like you’ve had quite the day,” Lucia observed, handing Lovey back to Miranda.

“Livy and Rafa won me prizes!” Miranda told her with a bright smile.

“I see that.”

“Mom played the shooting game _twice_ so Miranda and I could each get two prizes. She shot _all_ of the targets _four times_!” Noah added.

“Wow!” Lucia said with a smile. She knew her daughter-in-law handled a gun every day at work, so it didn’t surprise her that she’d hit all the targets. It was still impressive, though, and it made the kids happy. “Let’s get all your prizes together, Miranda; it’s almost time to go. Miss Farrah will be here soon.”

Miranda’s eyes welled with tears. “ _No quiero volver_.”

“ _Lo sé, querida, pero tienes que_.”

Hearing Miranda’s words, Olivia’s heart broke for the little girl. She knew who Farrah was and that that meant Miranda was an orphan. Looking over at Rafael, she knew he felt the same.

“Mami, could you keep an eye on Noah for a minute?” Rafael asked.

“Of course.”

* * *

“I want to keep her, Rafa,” Olivia said once she and Rafael were alone.

“Me, too,” Rafael admitted.

Olivia smiled at him. “I think you’ve been chosen twice now.”

Rafael shrugged as he returned her smile. “I guess so. I’m not sure we can take her home with us tonight, though.”

“Are you talking about Miranda?”

Olivia and Rafael turned their heads to see Noah standing next to them.

“I thought you were staying with _Abuelita_?” Rafael asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“She’s talking to some lady from an orphanage. They were both trying to get Miranda to calm down. She keeps asking for you and Mom. I don’t like seeing her sad. I like her.”

“How would you feel about taking her home with us?” Olivia asked.

“To keep?”

“Maybe.”

Noah shrugged. “I think I’d like to have a sister,” he said, repeating his words from dinner earlier in the week.

Rafael sighed and then took a hand of each Olivia and Noah. “Then let’s go see what we can do about that.”

* * *

“No!” They heard Miranda saying as they approached. “¡ _No quiero volver_!”

“ _Lo siento, querida, pero necesitas. Es donde vives_ ,” Lucia explained.

“ _No quiero vivir alli_.”

“Rafael,” Farrah greeted with a smile when she saw him approach. “It’s good to see you again.”

“It’s good to see you, too,” Rafael replied. “This is my wife, Olivia, and our son, Noah. We spent the day with Miranda.”

“She latched onto Rafael pretty much right away,” Olivia said.

“We’d like to know what we need to do in order to be able to take her home with us.”

“But you just met her…”

“We want to take her home with us,” Olivia reiterated.

“It’s un…unani…unanimous,” Noah added.

Rafael reached over and ran a hand over his son’s hair before turning back to Farrah. “Call Leah, tell her to pack Miranda’s things and bring them here. We’ll sign the temporary guardianship papers and whatever else you need us to do in order to bring Miranda home with us.”

“Okay, give me a few minutes,” Farrah replied, stepping away to call her assistant.

* * *

Hearing her son’s words, Lucia smiled as she turned back to Miranda. “I think Rafael, Olivia, and Noah have a question for you.”

Miranda wiped her tears away as best she could while holding multiple stuffed animals and then turned to the family she’d spent the day with. She was surprised when both Olivia and Rafael bent down to her level.

“How would you like to come home with us?” Olivia asked.

“Can I?”

“We’re working on that now,” Rafael told her. “Is that something you’d like?”

“Yes! Please!” Miranda replied excitedly, stepping closer to Rafael.

* * *

After signing the guardianship papers and adding Miranda’s prizes to her bag, Rafael lifted the girl into his arms, settling her on his hip before reaching for Noah’s hand and looking over at Olivia. She was holding a large bag that contained Noah’s prizes in one hand and had Miranda’s bag on her shoulder. Reaching for Noah’s free hand, she smiled at Rafael. “I think we’re ready to go now.”

“Home?” Noah checked.

“Home,” Rafael replied, with a nod of agreement from Olivia.

Miranda laid her head on Rafael’s shoulder, Lovey clutched tightly to her. She really liked Rafael, Olivia and Noah, and she wanted them to be her family. For now, though, she was happy to not have to say goodbye to them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The carnival is based on something my school used to do every year. We called it Ponderosa Day and it was basically a little carnival-like activity that got us out of class for a day :)
> 
> Translations:  
> paciente: patient  
> No quiero volver: I don't want to go back  
> Lo sé, querida, pero tienes que: I know, darling/dear, but you have to  
> Lo siento, querida, pero necesitas. Es donde vives: I'm sorry, darling/dear, but you have to. It's where you live  
> No quiero vivir alli: I don't want to live there


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say except I blame the Stabler portion of this chapter on BaGi14. I wasn't planning on bringing him back, but my muse liked her idea, so I decided to go with it.
> 
> As always, hope you all enjoy! :)

* * *

As she watched Miranda sleep, Olivia smiled at how relaxed the little girl looked. She was clutching tightly to Lovey, and the other stuffed animals were sitting on top of the dresser, her long brown hair spread out over the pillow. When she felt a hand on her shoulder, she looked over to see Rafael standing next to her.

“I talked to Rita,” he said softly.

“Already?”

Rafael shrugged. “I figured we might as well get an idea of what we’d have to do to adopt her.”

“What did Rita say?”

“She said she’d look into it tomorrow. I gave her Farrah’s contact information.”

Olivia leaned into his side, wrapping her arm around his waist. “She looks peaceful.”

“She looks like _you_ ,” Rafael corrected, pressing a kiss to her cheek. “Her hair is lighter, but your eyes are the same color.”

“Lots of people have brown hair and eyes, Rafa.”

“I know, but she reminds me of you. Maybe she’ll be a police officer like you someday.”

“You’re just saying that because you’re convinced Noah will be a lawyer like you.”

Rafael chuckled. “You never know. He may decide to do something completely different.”

“He has a few years yet to decide.”

“Come on, Liv, let’s go to bed. I’m sure both kids will be up earlier than we think.”

Olivia nodded, letting Rafael lead her from the room.

* * *

“I’m just making it clear that I expect the best for Marie. I used to work in this unit. I would have thought I would have gotten a nicer reception than being threatened.”

Garland exchanged a look with McCoy and then turned to the man sitting in front of his desk. “It’s been nearly a decade since you’ve worked here, Mr. Stabler. I appreciate your concern for your niece, but I can assure you that Captain Barba and her team always do their best to help the victims. I spoke with my predecessor earlier and he said he would be happy to speak to you about the team as well, but he’d tell you the same thing I’m telling you right now.”

“As Mr. Barba is Mr. Carisi’s supervisor, I’m happy to have him take the lead on your niece’s case, Mr. Stabler. Both Mr. Barba and Mr. Carisi have years of experience working with this unit and I trust them implicitly,” McCoy added.

“Are you sure it’s _wise_ to allow a husband and wife to work together?”

“They’ve filed all the appropriate paperwork and neither has done anything to indicate they are anything but professional at work. They’ve worked multiple cases together since Mr. Barba’s return, including one I’m sure you heard of, Sir Tobias Moore. Whose defense attorney was a former judge who tried every trick she could think of to get him out of having to appear at his own trial. If it weren’t for the hard work of Mr. Barba, Mr. Carisi, and the team here at SVU, I’m not sure we would have gotten the conviction.”

“I’m still not sure I’m comfortable with them being allowed to work together.”

“That’s not your choice,” Rafael cut in, ignoring the look from Olivia that told him to keep his mouth shut.

“How do I know you wouldn’t purposely lose the case just to spite me?”

Rafael raised an eyebrow at him. “Would you like me to get you a copy of my conviction record? I don’t _purposely_ _lose_ cases. I could get you in touch with the guys at Brooklyn SVU, in the Brooklyn DA’s office, and they’ll tell you the same thing. There’s a reason I have the best conviction record in the state.”

Olivia barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She knew this meeting was not going to go well.

Elliott turned to Olivia with wide eyes. “Are you going to let him talk to me like that?”

This time Olivia did roll her eyes. Crossing her arms over her chest, she leveled her old partner with her best no-nonsense look. “Elliott, I appreciate your concern for Marie, but this whole meeting was completely unnecessary and is only taking away from the time we could be spending on her case. I’m sorry that this happened to her, but I can assure you my team and I, along with Rafael and Sonny, will do _everything_ we can to get this guy convicted. But you have to let us _do our jobs_. That means none of whatever the hell you think this is. You don’t work for NYPD anymore. You left. Without a word. I appreciate you wanting to protect your family, but you have no leverage here. _I_ am the commanding officer of SVU now and Rafael is my partner, both personally and professionally. He has spent a lot of time mentoring Sonny, as did I before he moved to the DA’s office. I expect you to respect my team. If you can’t do that, then I’ll have you escorted out. Are we clear?”

Elliott didn’t bother to hide his surprise. This was definitely not the same Olivia that he had known. He’d known she was pissed about the way he left, but he hadn’t expected her confidence to grow as much as it had.

“Fin and Sonny will be handling things today,” Olivia continued. “Rafael and I came in our day off to meet with you, and our team will fill us in when we return tomorrow. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have to go pick up our children.”

Elliott’s brows furrowed. “I thought you only had the one?”

“We have two,” Rafael replied. “Not that it’s any of your business.”

“Rafael,” Olivia said. “Let’s just go, okay?”

Rafael nodded, pressing a hand to the small of her back as he led her from the room.

“Good day, Mr. Stabler,” McCoy said with a nod of his head. “I have a meeting in half an hour, so I need to be getting back to my office.”

Once he and Elliott were alone, Garland addressed him again. “I only allowed this meeting because you used to work in this unit, Mr. Stabler, and I thought you had legitimate concerns about your niece’s case as most of the detectives here are unfamiliar to you. I don’t appreciate my time being wasted airing petty grievances against your former partner and her husband. If I thought there was a conflict of interest, I would ask one or both of them to recuse themselves from the case. They both understand that they are watched very closely, but they choose to do what they do because they want to help victims like your niece, to make sure they understand that they aren’t alone and there are people who will fight for them. Are we clear?”

Elliott nodded, feeling a lot like a child again. “Yes, sir.”

* * *

“You okay?” Rafael asked his wife as the elevator doors closed.

“I’ll be better once I can hug our children,” Olivia replied.

Rafael nodded in understanding, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her temple. Olivia leaned into his side and closed her eyes for a moment. This was something they often did at the end of a long day, just leaning into each other and holding each other close. It was one of the little things that meant so much.

“We have some time before we have to be home to meet Lucy; we could pick up some take-out from Forlini’s or Por La Noche,” Rafael suggested.

“Mm. Por La Noche sounds really good, actually,” Olivia replied, turning her head to press a kiss to his jaw.

“Then let’s go. It’s not far from here and it’s a nice day.”

Olivia smiled and nodded, reaching for Rafael’s hand and lacing their fingers together before walking out with him.

* * *

Later that night, as Olivia was giving Miranda a bath, Rafael was surprised when Noah climbed into his lap. He rarely did that anymore. Setting aside the case file he’d been reading, he turned his attention to his son.

“Everything okay, _mijo_?” he asked.

“I just missed you,” Noah answered, leaning his head against his father’s chest.

Rafael hugged him tightly, rubbing a hand up and down his arm. “Your mom said you were worried about me leaving again.”

Noah nodded. “It hurt Mom and me a lot when you left. I know you and Mom are married now, and you adopted me, but…”

“But what, Noah? You can tell me.”

Noah sighed. “But what if you decide being with us isn’t what you want again?”

Rafael pressed a kiss to Noah’s head and tightened his arms around him. “Noah, _mijo_ , I never really wanted to leave in the first place. I just felt like I had nothing to offer you or your mom. Leaving hurt me, too. I wasn’t sure your mom would forgive me, but I couldn’t lose her friendship, so I did my best to be a friend while staying away. I knew if I came back, I’d want to be with her. I had been looking for away to come back when I got the phone call from Alex about my current job here. It was something Mr. McCoy and I had talked about briefly before I left, but when I quit my original job here, I didn’t think that position would be possible for me anymore.”

“You missed a lot.”

“I know. I’m sorry, _mijo_. So, so sorry. But I promise, being here with you and your mom, and now Miranda, too, this is _exactly_ where I want to be.”

“I don’t like it when you leave.”

Rafael pressed another kiss to his head. “I know. I don’t, either, but Mr. McCoy and I have known each other a long time and he asked me to do a couple of favors for him. He had some friends that needed my help.”

Noah sighed. “I like it better when you’re home.”

“Me, too, _mijo_. Me, too.”

“Why couldn’t I have gone with you?”

“It’s important for you to go to school. Your mom and I agreed that it was best for her to stay here with you.”

“But now with Miranda, I’m going to see you less.”

“I promise we’ll still have time just the two of us,” Rafael assured him. “Any Wednesday I’m not in court or in meetings, you can still come to my office.”

“But you’re working when I’m there.”

“I work at home sometimes, too. But you know I’m _always_ here for you, right?”

Noah nodded. “I miss you when you’re gone or busy.”

“I miss you, too, but like I said, I promise we will always find time to spend just the two of us. It might only be a half an hour of Lego building, but for that half an hour, you will have my complete attention. I’m still somewhat new to my current job and sometimes it can be kind of unpredictable, so I need you to be patient, okay?”

“I could read while you work, like I do at your office,” Noah suggested.

Rafael smiled and nodded. “You could. You could do your homework while I do my work.”

“I can still ask you questions if I need help?”

“Absolutely.”

“Even when you’re really busy?”

“Even then.”

“I love you, Dad,” Noah said, hugging Rafael tightly.

“I love you, too, Noah,” Rafael replied, returning his son’s hug. “But you still have to take a bath.”

Noah groaned, making Rafael laugh.

* * *

Walking out of the bathroom with Miranda wrapped tightly in a towel, Olivia laughed when she saw Rafael carrying a giggling Noah over his shoulder.

“This one tried to get out of taking a bath tonight,” Rafael explained.

Olivia smiled and nodded. “Mm. Best make sure it’s a _cold_ bath then. Wouldn’t want him to enjoy it or anything.”

“No, Mom!” Noah protested with a laugh.

“You heard your mom, _mijo_ ,” Rafael told him as he walked into the bathroom. “No warm water _or_ bubbles for you.”

“No!”

“Noah has to take a cold bath?” Miranda asked as Olivia walked into the room she was staying in.

Olivia laughed and shook her head as she set Miranda down on the bed. “No, sweet girl. Rafa and I were just joking.”

Miranda nodded as Olivia finished helping her dry off. “I like it here.”

“We like having you here,” Olivia said as she helped the little girl into her pajamas.

“Why was that lady here this morning?”

“She’s from the adoption agency. She wanted to see where you would be living, make sure it was safe for you.”

“Why?”

“Because Rafa and I would like you to be our little girl. A friend of Rafa’s is helping us with that process.”

“My home would be here? You and Rafa would be my mommy and daddy?”

“Is that something you’d like?”

Miranda nodded enthusiastically. “Yes!”

* * *

“I can’t believe you actually changed your name.”

Looking up from her paperwork, Olivia fixed her old partner with an annoyed look. “I’m busy, Elliott. What can I do for you?”

Elliott shrugged. “I’m just surprised, is all.”

Olivia set her pen and glasses down and then stood, palms flat on her desk. “First of all, my private life is _none_ of your business. That includes why I chose to take my husband’s name. Just because I changed my name doesn’t mean I didn’t work my ass off to get where I am. _You_ are the one who dropped off the face of the Earth, Elliott. Second of all, if this is about your niece’s case, as I know Fin just told you, we have no new information yet, but we’re _working on it_. I don’t owe you a thing.”

“Heard your husband left you, too. Guess he’s not such a good guy after all.”

“Rafael went without talking to me for a grand total of like two hours. He explained why he felt he needed to leave, and although I selfishly wanted him to stay, I understood why he had to go. Yes, I’ll admit it hurt like hell, but _he came back_. He _apologized_. I’ve been in love with Rafael for a long time, Elliott. But even when we were going through a rough patch, he _never_ stopped being there for me. Even when he was trying to get his own head together, he was still there for me as best he could be. You know nothing about him. So you don’t get to tell me whether or not my husband is a good man. Frankly, I don’t care _what_ you think. About my name change, about who I married. Now _get out_ before I have you escorted out.”

“You wouldn’t do that.”

Olivia raised an eyebrow at him. “Watch me,” she said before calling for Fin and Amanda.

“What’s up, Cap’n?” Fin asked as he appeared with Amanda a few moments later.

“ _Mr. Stabler_ needs to be escorted out. Do you think you two could take care of that for me?”

“Gladly,” Amanda replied, grabbing Elliott’s arm and turning him around.

Elliott wrenched his arm away from her. “Don’t you think you’re being a little rough?”

Amanda rolled her eyes. “That’s rich coming from you.”

Fin exchanged a look with Olivia before closing her door and taking the arm of Elliott’s that was closest to him. “Let’s go, Stabler,” he said.

“You leave when the captain tells you to,” Amanda said.

“I already called the elevator for you,” Kat added as they approached.

“Thanks, Kat,” Fin replied as they stepped into the elevator. “We’ll be back in a minute.”

* * *

Upon hearing a knock at her door, Olivia sighed and then told the person to come in.

“Thought you could use a fresh cup of coffee,” Kat said, setting the cup on Olivia’s desk.

Olivia chuckled. “I think you and Rafael will get along well. His cure for everything is coffee.”

“So you two met on the job, right?”

“Yes. He was the ADA for SVU for six years. He became my best friend and then we were walking a fine line between friendship and _more_ when things, for lack of a better way to put it, went to absolute _shit_. Luckily, our friendship survived and we were able to build up to that something _more_ again. Now I’m married to him, we have a son together and we’re working on adopting our daughter.”

“You’re adopting again?”

“We weren’t really planning on it,” Olivia admitted with a smile. “But the four of us just _clicked_.”

“I don’t know if I want to be a mom,” Kat said with a shrug as she took a seat in front of Olivia’s desk.

“I wasn’t for a long time, either. I ultimately decided that I wanted to be, whether or not I had someone by my side, but I also know people who decided that it just wasn’t for them.”

“I wish everyone was as accepting as you.”

Olivia smiled sadly, understanding that the young woman was talking about more than just people who think all women should want to have kids. “All we can do is our best, Kat. Hopefully we can change some minds along the way, but unfortunately, we tend to see some of the worst types of people here.”

“I understand. But I’d like to do what I can to be part of that change.”

“Then I think you’ll do well here.”

Kat smiled. “Thank you. I hope so. Thanks for the chat.”

“Thanks for the coffee.”

“Door closed?” Kat checked as she stood.

“You can leave it open for now. Will you send Fin and Amanda in when they get back?”

“Sure.”

* * *

“I can’t believe you really called the police chief and the district attorney!” Marie yelled at her uncle when she found out what he’d done. “I asked you to stay out of this!”

“I wanted to make sure you were taken care of,” Elliott retorted.

Marie threw up her hands. “ _I_ trust them, Elliott! You went behind my back and created as scene, and now they probably think I’m some kind of entitled bitch. You have to let them do their jobs! You’re not a cop anymore!”

“Marie-”

“No! Just _stop_! Thank you for picking me up the other night, but my parents are home now and they’ll be with me from here on out. You need to leave. Go back to your family. You are _not_ to be involved with this any further, do you hear me?”

“But…”

“No!” Marie repeated. “ _Listen to me_. You are my uncle and I love you, but you need to _butt out_. If this goes to trial, you can sit _silently_ in the gallery, but I don’t want you bugging the police or Mr. Barba. He’s been nothing but kind to me. Whatever your mind has lead you to believe could have happened with Olivia is _long gone._ If you’d wanted to do something about some _connection_ you thought you two had, you should have manned up and divorced Kathy. But you didn’t. You chose to stay with her. You can’t have it both ways. Olivia moved on and found someone who loves her for _who she is_. I’ve seen them together, Elliott. They’re _connected_. Soul mates.”

“You’re twenty, what do you know about _soul mates_?”

Marie glared at her uncle. “I know them when I see them. You always told me that my parents are soul mates, so I’ve literally grown up with the idea, and my age has nothing to do with it. Now, please leave, I have schoolwork to do.”

* * *

A few weeks later, as they were waiting for the final home visit to be completed, Olivia and Rafael waited in the living room with Noah and Miranda to see if they would be approved to adopt the little girl.

“It’s going to be fine, Liv,” Rafael assured her, reaching for her hand. “ _Mi vida_ , you need to calm down.”

Olivia turned into his arms, burying her face in his shoulder and breathing in his calming scent. When she heard the case worker re-enter the room, she turned to face her.

“Congratulations,” the woman said. “You’ve been approved. Judge Linden will sign off on the adoption in her chambers.”

“Thank you,” Rafael said as he walked her to the door.

“Did you hear that, sweet girl?” Olivia asked, lifting Miranda into her arms and hugging her close. “You get to stay with us forever.”

Miranda wrapped her arms around her neck and hugged her tightly. “Mommy,” she whispered.

Reaching for Noah, Olivia held him tightly to her side. When Rafael returned to the room, she raised watery eyes to meet his. With a nod of his head, he joined them, lifting Noah into his arms so they could hug both children close.

* * *

“Congratulations, Miranda Isabella Barba,” Judge Linden said before signing off on the little girl’s adoption.

Olivia pressed a kiss to the top of Miranda’s head before turning to look at Rafael, who was holding Noah on his lap. He smiled softly at her and mouthed ‘I love you’.

“Is it time for the party now?” Miranda asked her parents, eliciting chuckles of amusement from the three adults.

“Yes, _mija_ , it’s time for the party now,” Rafael answered.

* * *

When they returned home, the family of four was surprised to find Lucia there with a bunch of their friends. Sonny, Amanda, Jesse, Billie, Eddie, and Mateo were waiting for them.

“Sorry we’re late,” Fin announced as he walked in, holding tight to Rita’s hand, “We found some stragglers and figured we’d take pity on them.”

“Speak for yourself, Fin,” Munch retorted.

“Munch!” Olivia exclaimed, quickly walking over to hug her longtime friend. As she stepped back, she spotted Cragen and his wife along with Amaro and a woman she didn’t recognize.

“Liv, this is my girlfriend, Natalia. Natalia, this is my good friend, Olivia Barba,” Nick introduced once he had hugged Olivia.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Olivia said with a smile, holding her hand out to the younger woman.

“It’s nice to meet you, too,” Natalia replied, shaking Olivia’s hand.

Olivia nudged her old friend in the side. “I can’t believe you flew all the way out here just for this.”

“I told you-friends forever,” Nick reminded her. “Besides, there’s no _just_ in adopting another child. I think it’s great.”

“How are Zara and Gil?”

“They’re good. Zara is growing like a weed. I’m pretty sure they’ll both be taller than me.”

Olivia smiled. “School is going well for them?”

Nick nodded. “Yes. I try to get them both on the same weekend so they can spend some time together, too. I had them both over their last school breaks, so it worked out.”

“Good. I’m glad everyone is doing well.”

“You and Rafael should bring the kids out sometime. There’s some great beaches near San Diego. Plus the zoo. If Noah still likes animals.”

“He does. I’ll have to talk to Rafael about it. I’m sure he’d love the warmer weather, too.”

Nick chuckled. “Cuban blood. Makes us a little more wary of the cold.”

Olivia laughed. “So he tells me.”

“What do I tell you?” Rafael asked as he walked up beside her and slid his arm around her waist.

“That your Cuban blood makes you very wary of the cold,” Olivia replied as she slid her own arm around his waist and tucked her hand into his back pocket.

“Ah. Well, it’s true.”

“Whatever you say, Rafa,” Olivia said with a laugh. “This is Nick’s girlfriend, Natalia. Natalia, this is my husband, Rafael Barba.”

“You’re one of the lawyers who took down Sir Toby Moore,” Natalia said as recognition hit her.

“I am,” Rafael answered with a smile and then nodded toward where Sonny and Amanda stood talking to Cargen and Eileen. “The other one is over there with his fiancée.”

Nick opened his mouth to say something else, but stopped when he saw a little girl he guessed to be Miranda walk up to Rafael and take his hand.

“Daddy, I’m hungry,” she said.

Rafael chuckled, releasing Olivia so he could pick up his daughter. “Sorry, _mija_ , your mommy and I were talking to an old friend. I’m sure _Abuelita_ has something ready for you.”

“Nick, Natalia, I’d like you to meet Rafael’s and my daughter, Miranda. Miranda, sweet girl, this is Nick, he’s an old friend of your daddy’s and mine, and this is his girlfriend, Natalia.”

“Hi,” Miranda said shyly.

“Uncle Nick!” Noah exclaimed when he joined his parents and sister and recognized the person they’d been talking to.

Nick bent to hug his honorary nephew. “Hey, bud, how’s it going? I heard you’re dancing now.”

Noah nodded. “It’s fun!”

“Rumor has it your dad is a pretty good dancer, too,” he said with a conspiratorial wink for Noah. “Maybe you and your _abuelita_ can convince him and your mom to dance later.”

Noah grinned and nodded. “Have you met my _abuelita_?”

“No, not yet.”

Noah grabbed his hand. “Come on,” he said, tugging on Nick’s hand and leading him toward where Lucia was chatting with Rita, Fin, Eddie, and Mateo.

“I guess that’s our cue,” Natalia joked, following Nick and Noah.

“Come on, _mis amores_ , let’s get some food,” Rafael said, shifting Miranda to his hip and grabbing Olivia’s hand to lead them into the kitchen.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize it's been almost two months since I updated this fic, but I didn't mean to abandon it. I have just been getting attacked almost incessantly by plot bunnies and badgered to update other fics by a certain reader ;) really, though, I've been trying to write this chapter for a while and it finally came together tonight, so I decided to go ahead and post it. 
> 
> Special thanks to barbs_A on the SVU Special Fan Unit discord server for help with some of the Italian in this. The rest comes from Google translate so hopefully that's correct, too. 
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

“Sorry I’m late,” Marie apologized as she rushed into the court room to meet Olivia and Rafael, followed closely by Elliott. “ _Someone_ insisted on coming with and was late to pick me up.”

Olivia exchanged a look with Rafael before turning back to the younger woman. “We’re just glad you were able to make it.”

“He promises to be _completely silent_.”

Rafael barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at Olivia. When she shrugged, he let out a breath and decided to proceed as if Elliott wasn’t there. “Have you ever testified in court before?” he asked as Marie took her seat on the witness stand.

“No. Is that a problem?”

“Not at all. That’s why we’re here. Are you ready?”

Marie nodded. “A little nervous, but I’m ready.”

“Olivia and I will be there the whole time. Carisi and Rollins should be here shortly, they were just wrapping things up with Fin at the precinct. Carisi is the lead prosecutor on the case, but I’ll be at the table next to him and Liv will be in the gallery.”

Marie nodded again. “I trust you. All of you.”

Rafael smiled a little and nodded. “Let’s start from the beginning, then,” he said before launching into the first set of questions.

* * *

Watching first Olivia and Rafael themselves, and then them with Amanda and Sonny, Elliott had to admit that they _were_ a good team. Better than he, Olivia, and Alex or he, Olivia, and Casey had been. He’d done some more digging into Rafael, looked at some of his past cases. Manhattan SVU had become the top unit in the city and now he could see why. He also noticed the way Olivia and Rafael could communicate with just a look, sometimes so subtle it was easy to miss.

* * *

As they were leaving the courtroom, Elliott got an uneasy feeling. Glancing over at his companions, he saw Amanda and Olivia exchange a look. Placing her hand on Sonny’s arm, Amanda gained the taller man’s attention. “I think I left that book for Jessie on your desk.”

“I need to grab a couple of files anyway, so we can check it out,” Sonny replied, sliding an arm around her waist.

“See ya’ll tomorrow,” Amanda said with a wave as she and Sonny walked towards the offices of the junior ADAs.

Olivia slid her arm under Rafael’s jacket and around his waist, smiling when he copied her and slid his arm around her waist. “Should we pick up _Por La Noche_? Or did your mom feed the kids?”

Rafael glanced at his watch. “I’m sure she fed them. It’s a little later than we planned. The kids will probably be asleep by the time we get home.”

“Sleep sounds _amazing_ ,” Olivia replied as they began to walk towards the outside doors, the opposite direction Sonny and Amanda had gone just a short while earlier.

“Do you want a ride to your apartment or your parents’ house?” Elliott asked his niece.

“I think my apartment,” Marie answered. “Thanks.”

Elliott nodded, leading her in the same direction that Olivia and Rafael had gone in. A few moments, all four turned at the sound of a gunshot followed by a scream.

“You go, I’ll call Fin,” he heard Rafael tell Olivia before she began to run in the direction Amanda and Sonny had gone.

* * *

“Sonny!” Olivia gasped as she approached, seeing him holding Amanda’s jacket to his arm. “Are you okay?”

“Apparently I kept my cop instincts,” Sonny attempted to joke even as he winced in pain.

“Where’s Amanda?”

“Took off after the guy who shot me.”

“Which way, Sonny?”

Sonny tilted his head towards the hallway that led to the elevators. Taking out her phone, Olivia called for an ambulance for Sonny and then followed the path he had indicated Amanda gone in.

* * *

“Was…was that a _gunshot_?” Marie asked, looking between her uncle and Rafael.

“Yes,” Rafael answered. “Fin and the squad are on their way.”

“Where are the _security guards_?” Elliott demanded.

“In short supply this time of night. They knew we had two cops with us, so I’m guessing they didn’t think we’d need as much security,” Rafael replied, holding up his hand when Elliott opened his mouth to speak. “I’ll talk to McCoy tomorrow and figure out who we need to talk to about getting that increased. Right now, we need to keep you and Marie safe.”

Marie turned and buried her face in her uncle’s chest. Wrapping his arms around her, Elliott hugged her close. When he saw Rafael read a text on his phone and then relax his shoulders, he spoke again. “Everything okay?”

Rafael looked up and nodded. “Fin said Erin went to the apartment to check on my mom and the kids. She’s going to stay there until we get home.”

“What about…Rollins? Doesn’t she have a kid?”

“Two. Dodds is on his way to Sonny’s parents’ house.”

“Why would they have Rollins’ kids?”

Rafael once again barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He also didn’t want to give away too much information. Neither Sonny nor Amanda knew Elliott and he wasn’t sure what they were comfortable sharing with him. “Because they’re watching them tonight. I think you can determine for yourself why that would be.”

* * *

A short while later, Rafael breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Fin and Kat running up to him.

“Which way, Barba?” Fin asked.

Rafael pointed down the hallway. “That way. That’s all I….” he began to answer, stopping when he saw to EMS workers rush past them. “…know. Shit. Liv went that way, too.”

“I’ll stay here with these two,” Kat volunteered. “You go with Fin.”

Rafael nodded his thanks and then began to lead Fin down the hall.

* * *

When they arrived, they saw Olivia and some security guards standing with a man with his hands cuffed behind his back. Amanda was kneeling on the floor next to Sonny, whose arm had obviously been shot.

“Damn, Carisi,” Fin said. “I didn’t know you missed being a cop so much.”

“Shut up, Fin,” Amanda said, sounding panicky. “Go check in with Liv.”

Fin nodded, walking over to his captain to see if she needed any help while Rafael stayed with Sonny and Amanda.

“Who’s the guy?” he asked.

“Brother of the guy accused of raping Marie,” Amanda answered, though she didn’t take her eyes off of her fiancé. “She was his original target. When he saw I had a gun, he shot at me. Sonny pushed me down and the bullet grazed his arm. Idiot forgets he’s not a copy anymore.”

“I’ll always protect you,” Sonny told her, wincing when one of the EMS workers began to clean his wound.

“ _I’m_ the one with the gun!”

“Manda, can we _not_ argue about this right now?”

“Fine,” Amanda said as she got to her feet. “I’m going to call your mother. You can stay here with Barba.”

“Great.”

* * *

After Amanda and Sonny left for the hospital and Fin took the shooter to the station, Olivia and Rafael went to check in with Kat, Elliott, and Marie.

“Are you okay?” Olivia asked Marie, gently touching her arm.

Marie nodded. “I just want to go home.”

“We can get you a security detail until the trial is over. Unmarked car, plain-clothed officers.”

Marie turned to look at her uncle. “What do you think?”

Elliott shrugged. “I don’t think it would hurt. Kathy and I have a spare room if you want it. Or I can take you to your parents’ house.”

“I need some things from my apartment.”

“I can go with you, if you want,” Kat volunteered. “Make it look like we decided to go on a last-minute girls’ weekend or something.”

“Okay,” Marie agreed with a nod before turning to her uncle. “Can you drop me off at my parents’ house afterwards?”

“Sure. Let’s get going,” he said before turning to Olivia and Rafael. “Thank you. Both of you.”

* * *

“Dominick Angelo Carisi Junior!”

Sonny groaned and let his head fall back against the pillow of the hospital bed while Amanda brought her hand up to her mouth to try and hide her laughter.

“Mamma, I’m fine. They’re going to let me out of here soon. You didn’t need to come all the way here.”

“ _Stai zitto_ ,” Gia told him. “ _Sei mio figlio ed ero preoccupato per te_.”

Sonny sighed. Touching his good arm, Amanda got his attention. “I’m going to let Liv and Barba know they can go home.”

* * *

Walking out into the lobby, Amanda immediately spotted Olivia and Rafael.

“They’re going to release him soon. You two should go home to your kids,” Amanda told them.

“Everything okay?” Olivia asked, noticing the slightly melancholy look on her friend’s face.

Sensing that Amanda wanted to talk to Olivia in private, Rafael nodded toward the nearby coffee machine. “I’m going to get a coffee and let Mami know we’ll be home soon.”

“What’s going on?” Olivia asked once Rafael was out of earshot.

“I wish I could speak multiple languages like you. Sonny’s mom was yelling at him in Italian and I had absolutely _no idea_ what she was saying.”

“You know Sonny doesn’t care that you don’t speak Italian.”

“I know…I just feel…inadequate sometimes.”

“Amanda, Sonny loves you. He asked you to marry him. _You_ are the one he wants to spend his life with. You and the girls. I’m sure he’d love to teach you Italian if you asked. I can teach you some things, too, if you want.”

Amanda smiled at her friend. “Thanks.”

“Anytime. Give Sonny our love. I’m exhausted and I want to see my kids.”

“I will,” Amanda promised. “How’s Miranda settling in, by the way?”

“We’ve learned she has a habit of running off.”

“What?”

Olivia laughed. “We were at the store the other day and she saw something she wanted. She began running down the aisle before I could tell her ‘no’. Rafael caught her, though.”

“How did she react to that?”

“She was a little surprised. Then she batted her eyes at him and he took her to get what she wanted.”

“Jesse got Sonny to buy her ice cream last week. She failed to mention that I’d already told her we had ice cream at home. Apparently she didn’t want _that_ ice cream.”

“Sounds like Sonny is settling into fatherhood as well as Rafa.”

“Oh, both girls already have Sonny wrapped around their fingers,” Amanda said with a laugh. “It’s actually kind of adorable.”

“That’s part of the problem.”

After chatting for a few more minutes, Olivia went in search of her husband while Amanda went back to check on Sonny.

* * *

“Amanda, _cara,_ how are _you_ holding up?” Gia asked when Amanda re-entered Sonny’s hospital room.

“Me?” Amanda asked in surprise.

“Domini told me how his only thought when he heard the shot was how he was going to protect you.”

“When I realized he was hurt, I threw my jacket at him and told him to put pressure on the wound before I ran after the son of a bitch who shot him.”

“She tackled him,” Sonny said proudly. “He had no idea what was happening until she was cuffing him.”

“You didn’t even see it happen.”

“Liv told me.”

Amanda rolled her eyes at him. “I’m surprised what’s his name didn’t freak out.”

“‘What’s his name’?” Gia repeated.

“Liv’s old partner. He’s been a pain in our side this entire investigation. His niece is the one who got raped. Pretty sure he hates Barba just because he’s with Liv.”

“Fin said this guy had his chance, but he never took it and Liv kind of put her life on hold for him so he wasn’t exactly heartbroken when the guy left. He’s still pissed at the guy for the _way_ he left, though,” Sonny added.

“Olivia and her husband seemed very happy together,” Gia said, confused.

“They are,” Amanda assured. “They just adopted a little girl. And there’s no one better for Liv _or_ Barba than each other.”

“Just like you and Domini.”

Amanda opened her mouth to say something about how Sonny could do better when she felt him reach for her hand. “ _Lei è la mia anima gemella_.”

“She certainly is,” Gia replied with a smile. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with us now, Mandy.”

Amanda let out a watery laugh. She usually didn’t like the nickname ‘Mandy’, but it felt right coming from the woman she already considered her mother-in-law. “I’m okay with that.”

* * *

Walking into their home, Olivia and Rafael were greeted by Erin and Lucia.

“You didn’t need to stay, Erin,” Olivia told her detective.

“Lucia and I were chatting,” Erin replied with a shrug. “My mother is, well, for all intents and purposes…gone…so it was nice to be able to chat with a mother who is very much involved in her child’s life.”

“I understand. Thank you again for checking on Luci and the kids. Rafa and I appreciate it.”

“No problem. I’m going to head home. Goodnight, all.”

After bidding goodnight to Erin, Lucia turned to her son and daughter-in-law. She was about to say something to them when she heard the sound of little feet running down the hallway. Turning, she saw Miranda rushing towards her parents, Lovey held tight in one arm and tears running down her face. Rafael scooped her up into his arms and hugged her close.

“Miranda, _mija_ , what’s wrong?” he asked as he ran a hand over her hair.

“I had a bad dream,” Miranda replied, burying her face in Rafael’s shoulder.

Olivia pressed a kiss to Miranda’s head and rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her before turning to her mother-in-law. “You’re welcome to take the guest room for the night, Luci.”

“Thank you, _mija_ , I think I’ll take you up on that,” Lucia replied. Turning to her granddaughter, she placed a hand on her back to get her attention. “Think we should surprise Noah in the morning?”

Miranda nodded. “I won’t tell,” she promised.

Lucia kissed her forehead. “Good girl. _Dulces sueños, nieta_.”

“‘Night.”

“Can you help Mami get settled?” Rafael asked Olivia. “I’m going to put this one back to bed.”

“Of course,” Olivia replied. Rubbing Miranda’s back again, she pressed a kiss to the little girl’s cheek. “Goodnight, sweet girl.”

“‘Night, Mommy.”

“Come on, _mi corazoncito_ , it’s past your bedtime,” Rafael said as he began to walk upstairs with Miranda.

Olivia turned to Lucia to find the older woman looking at Rafael and Miranda with her hands over her heart. “I know,” she said with a smile.

* * *

By the time Sonny was released from the hospital and they arrived at his parents’ house, Amanda could barely keep her eyes open. She had no idea how she was going to drive them home.

“ _Miei cari_ , you’re both exhausted, and the girls are both fast asleep. Why don’t you both stay here for tonight as well?” Gia suggested.

Sonny reached for Amanda’s hand before she could argue. “Come on, Manda, I just want to sleep.”

Amanda nodded, following him to the guest bedroom. Not even five minutes after settling in the bed together, they were both asleep.

* * *

“Miranda go back to sleep okay?” Olivia asked as Rafael entered their bedroom.

“Yes.”

“Did she tell you what her dream was about?”

Rafael shook his head as he began to change into sweatpants and a t-shirt. “She was asleep before I put her back in her bed.”

Olivia nodded, waiting for Rafael to slip into bed beside her before curling up next to him and pillowing her head on his shoulder.

“ _Te amo_ ,” Rafael whispered, holding her close.

Olivia lifted her head and looked into the green eyes she loved so much. “Rafa, what’s wrong?”

“Do you ever wish things had turned out differently for us?”

“Differently how?”

Rafael shrugged, but Olivia knew what he was thinking. Reaching up, she laid a hand on his cheek and turned his face towards her.

“ _Mi hombre guapo_ , I told you-I understood why you had to leave. I didn’t like it, but I understood. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we had admitted our feelings sooner, but I like to think we’re exactly where we’re meant to be. Married with two amazing kids. _Te amo_ , Rafael. _Para siempre_.”

“I can’t imagine a life where I’m _not_ married to you, where I’m _not_ Noah’s father.”

“What about Miranda?”

“Our little handful? I was definitely meant to be her father, too.”

Olivia smiled and leaned over to kiss him. “I agree.”

“I love our life, Livia.”

“I know. Me, too. Can we go to sleep now?”

Rafael chuckled, pulling her close for another kiss. “Now we can.”

Olivia smiled, laying her head back on his shoulder as she tightened her arm around him.

* * *

After the guilty verdict in his niece’s case was read, Elliott watched Olivia and Marie hug before the former stood and walked over to Rafael. He watched them exchange words he couldn’t hear, but they smiled at each other as they nodded. Then the blonde detective and the junior ADA walked up to them and began chatting with them. The younger man seemed to have made a full recovery, though Rafael had taken over the case and instructed the former to take some time off. He had to admit the guy was good at what he did. He’d read up on some of his cases and had to admit he was impressed. Turning to his niece, he tapped her shoulder to get her attention.

“How about some celebratory ice cream?” he asked.

“From the little place by my parents’ house?” Marie checked.

“Of course.”

“I wish they could have been here today.”

“I know. They couldn’t get any more time off work, though.”

“I told my mom I’d call her when we knew the verdict.”

“You can call her on the way. We could get a bunch of ice cream to go, I know the kids would like to see you. As would Kathy.”

Marie smiled and nodded. “Sounds great.”

* * *

Watching Elliott and Marie leave, Olivia smiled. She was happy they were able to help the girl and she hoped the young woman would be able to move forward with her life.

“Earth to Liv!”

Olivia turned back to see Amanda, Sonny, and Rafael laughing at her. Smirking, she turned to her husband and cupped his face in her hands before kissing him. Then it was _her_ turn to laugh at _him_ when she saw his surprised expression.

“Don’t even _think_ about it,” She heard Sonny say, presumably to Amanda.

“Forlini’s?” Rafael suggested, looking from Olivia to their friends.

“I’ll meet you there,” Sonny replied. “I need to run a quick errand.”

“Everything okay?” Amanda asked, concerned.

Sonny pressed a kiss to her cheek. “I just need to pick something up before I forget.”

* * *

“Everything you need is in the envelope. Bring it back to me when you’re finished and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“Thank you again. I really appreciate your help with this.”

“Just doing my job.”


End file.
